Second Chances
by KIMIKO-K
Summary: A sexy, intelligent and self-sacrificial ninja of Konoha Village, or a lost, confused and self-conscious University student in the modern Konoha? And why does that pink-head woman keeps telling him he's a singer? Was this Itachi's retribution, or a second chance for finding himself? AU COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**This story is inspired by a drawing of Itachi hanging beside my bed.**

* * *

**Prologue – A Simple Wish**

"Haa… Haah… Argh… Your eyes belong to me now. I'll take them slowly… I want to savour this." Itachi gasped out between labored breaths. Sasuke flinched at his venomous threat. Without warning, Itachi's heartbeat pounded against his chest, and dark streams of liquid came gashing out of his mouth. Between the pain and the rapid coughing fit that had assaulted him, his knee gave out as he gripped his chest in agony. It was during that instant that Sasuke saw an opening as Susanoo, the gigantic humanoid surrounding Itachi, momentarily weakened. With the stealth and accuracy only a skilled ninja has, he flung a tagged kunai towards Itachi.

The resounding explosion gave Sasuke some comfort, but only briefly, as the cleared out smoke revealed an unscathed Itachi. Sasuke's act of impulse only served to fuel Itachi's anger, and he began making gradual steps towards him.

"DAMN YOU!" Struggling to remain unaffected, he unleashed a scroll with explosive seals tags which he swiftly attached to his kunai, aimed at his Brother. _With Susanoo, any in-coming attacks are futile. Haven't you realise that, Sasuke?_ Itachi pondered pensively.

"My eyes…"

With each nearing steps, Sasuke's helplessness and fear only increased, threatening to swallow him inside out. His last attack with his sword was easily repelled by Susanoo's Yata Mirror, and the force of repulsion caused him to be backed up against a wall with a large Uchiha symbol craving. The irony of the situation was not lost on him – that the very symbol of his pride severed him of his escape route, leading him closer than ever to his impending death. Itachi's blood stained arm reached out, ready to claim those every eyes that Sasuke were so dependent on. He could only respond with shaking legs.

"… S…. S... … …. .. … …. T..."

_What the…? What did Itachi just said? _Sasuke's thought was interrupted as his Brother's fingers were mere inches from his forehead. It came nearer, and nearer, and…. _Poke_. Upon contact with his forehead, Itachi's fingers slackened and went tracing down the left profile of his face, leaving behind a trail of blood, reminiscent of tear tracks. Itachi's body sang forward, diving head first onto the wall beside Sasuke, before sinking onto his knees and collapsing on the broken granite floor, battle won but match lost.

* * *

**Chapter 1 – All Alone**

Cutting off the thread, Haruno Sakura successfully sealed the gaping wound of her latest and last of her morning shift's casualty. She looked up and was met with approving nods and eye contacts from her seniors of Konoha Hospital, where she worked as a part-time assistant medic after school and during the weekends. Swiping the sweat off her now glistening forehead, she proceeded to thank everyone for their help (her mother always empathized mannerism and maintaining good relationship with her co-workers, albeit being just a part-timer) while swiftly peeling off her doctor's coat. A quick glance at her watch gave her enough reason to hasten up - it was already four past ten! She was supposed to be off work an hour ago, lazing around at her apartment and sipping tea while listening to one of her favorite idol's songs... Shaking her head out of her fantasy-about-to-turn-into-reality, she bid her last farewell to her Supervisor, Ms Shizune (a real charmer - she still hasn't thank her for those amazing homemade strawberry shortcakes yet, and gently reminded herself to return the favor soon) and excused herself from the building.

Ten minutes has passed before she brisk past her apartment's guard house - the perks of working near your house, not before waving at the "jolly guardians" who she loved so much.  
"Konichiwa, Izumo-san, Kotetsu-san! You two are working hard as ever!"

"Konichiwa, Sakura-chan! Iya, iya, that's our job. But aren't you late today! Hopefully there weren't any fatal casualties...?" Kotetsu Hagane replied with a concerned look.

"Ah, shinpai shinaide, the staffs are working really hard and they are all doing fine now," Sakura responded with a certain pride for her seniors, and herself, knowing she did her best be it bandaging, paper work or even the hardest task- closing of huge wounds. The last took some time to get used to, and between the exposed bones, overflowing blood and limited time, the novelty of such a gruesome scene was lost on her.

"Jaa, I'm going up to rest for a while. Keep up the good job, futari tomo!"

"Hai, hai, we will look out for any suspicious guy going after you!" Izumo offered with humour.

* * *

"Tataima!" Sakura exclaimed cheerfully, her voice echoing slightly throughout the empty apartment on the tenth floor. She frowned slightly, before remembering that there was not supposed to be anyone at home. _How could there be when they were all dead?_ Kicking off her white heels, she surveyed her living room. The furniture was kept sparse to reduce the housekeeping, making the space very minimalist. The walls were freshly painted pristine white, thanks to Naruto's latest obsession of messing with paint. That best friend of hers lived by the motto "Live life to the fullest," though sometimes she wished he would slow down. She was only juggling one part-time job and was barely managing! So, when Naruto offered to paint her house, Sakura practically dove at the chance. Who doesn't like a free paint job?

"Urgh, I am sticky and I hate it," Sakura said out loud with a disgusted shudder as she made her way to her bathroom. She was never one to take her time over trivialities like showering, and was done before her green tea was soaked up by the boiling water.

Carrying her green tea into her cosy cocoon - her room, she sat and leaned back against her black armchair, sipping her aromatic drink while staring into the eyes of her beloved idol – Kanae Itachi.

"Tataima, Itachi-san," Sakura whispered to the full body poster of the lead singer, secured neatly within a custom-made rosewood frame and hanging proudly against the celadon wall, beside her single bed. Despite her independent facade, she was in fact garnering most of her confidence from Itachi. Since the day she had the poster, it has quickly became a habit for her to hold idle conversations with him, from ranting about her overzealous physical education teacher, panicking over what to wear on Picture Day (while hoping to capture her crush's attention with the strategically chosen outfit) to sharing her deepest sorrows that not even Naruto knew about. It has offered her some form of comfort and delusion of an occupied flat other than herself.

The chores of the day finally took its toll on her as she start to feel her eyelids getting heavy. All the overtime she did to cover for her school fees and daily expenditure were definitely a killer to her health. She carefully sat the clay cup on her desk and made a bee dive for her bed. She smiled at him 'lying' next to her (above her), before giving in to her exhaustion. Her last thoughts were of his mesmerizing eyes and those locks hanging in front of his onyx orbs, imagining them to be swaying with the wind, of her sweeping it off his forehead and kissing it...

* * *

_Is it over?_

Sasuke dared a glance over at Itachi's still life. Yes, Itachi's dead. _I've finally beaten you, nii-san... Or did you not let me win on purpose?  
_  
Before Sasuke could wonder any further, he felt darkness consuming him from within. He promptly fell over and landed adjacent to Itachi.

_It is over._

Before Sasuke lost his consciousness, he could not help but wonder, _why does it have to be me? Why can't nii-san be… Like before? _It was at this very instant that Itachi's body shimmered slightly, followed by a sudden jerk that propelled his soul out of his vessel, towards a new perspective.

* * *

When Sakura was deep in slumber, nothing could pull her away from her state of unconsciousness. Nothing. Hell, she even slept through an earthquake (albeit a small one)! That was what she thought.

Amidst the deafening silence and stillness, the poster hanging beside Sakura's bed began emitting rays of ghastly white, filling up the entire room with its heavenly luminance. Itachi's limp and bruised body went tumbling out of the life size poster, landing ceremoniously on top of Sakura.

"Oooof..." _What the... What's this heavy thing on top of me?_

"It can't be you right, Itachi...? I'm sure I secured you on my wall..." Sakura mumbled beneath the baby pink blanket. She shifted her face, and felt something soft tickling her cheek. Sakura's eye immediately bolted open. If Sakura was in a deep slumber before, she was definitely sober now.

Who wouldn't with Itachi in the same room as you, much less lying on top of you? Not that she knew that, not yet. Sakura tried to sit up, but the dead load was too much to handle for her stiff muscles from those hours of work and heavy sleep. Impossible, she must still be dreaming. Wait what if this was... A pervert thief?! That notion jolted all her drowsy muscles awake and with one shove, she managed to get away from being sandwiched between the unidentified person and her bed, only to roll and landed on the timber floor with a dull thump.

"Itai... Eh... what?! Is this really...!" From her new vantage point beside the bed, she assessed the scene with part disbelief and undisguised admiration. Sakura blinked. There laid the most beautiful man she has ever laid eyes on in her entire existence.

Cladded simply in a loose-fit, V-neck lavender tee-shirt with a mesh top underneath and slim-fit lavender cotton pants, Sakura could not believe that such unflattering apparels could complement to such extent with his alabaster skin and appeal so much to her. This was the same man who she squealed and yelled over and swooned at since five (and probably the only guy she has ever known who could pull off a head to toe assemble of pure purple raiment) - her idol Kanae Itachi. _It can't be. _

The next bugging issue was, what the heck was he doing in her room? Why wasn't he moving at all? She began tapping lightly on his shoulder.

"Ano... Itachi? Are you awake? Ita... Shinjirarenai, what happened to you?" Now that the novelty of the situation has worn off, she began to notice another more disturbing observation - the multiple bruises and scratches _and_ the severe burn on his entire right arm. Her medic instincts took control; after hastily securing the load of pink hair with the hairband on her bedside table, Sakura knelt down and swiftly assessed his various injuries. _Second degree burns, a deep wound across his left thigh and those streaks of dried blood on his cheeks… I've got to take him to the hospital._ Without deliberating further, she probed him up and carried him by his shoulders out of her room.

Kicking open the front door, Sakura managed to get both of them out of her house with little effort (with much thanks to Itachi's slender build) before closing it back with a muted thump.

"Hang on there, Itachi-san! I am bringing you to the hospital now…" Sakura whispered encouragingly while shuffling slightly on the way to the lift at the end of the deserted corridor. It was during times like this that she was glad that she has MIA neighbours – who knew what sort of gossip could escalate should she be caught hurling a man out of her flat by a buttinsky? _I must be in luck, eh?_ Sakura grinned inwardly at that thought as she pressed the lift button with her knuckles.

….

"You've got to be kidding right?" Cried an exasperated Sakura. Between her irrational brewing excitement and anxiety to bring Itachi medical aid, she completely missed the "Under repair" signage pasted on the lift's door. There was even a cute image of a chibi construction guy beside the texts, bowing in mocking repentance at her.

"I must be in luck, _eh_?" Sakura forced out with a defeated sigh.

* * *

_So bright... Is this... The afterlife?_

"Ten days… Worry… Sta…"

_Are those people's voices? _I tried to move my arm, but it would not respond. _Why does my body feel so heavy… And weak? _I tried shifting my neck, and in doing so it sent an intensifying pain throughout my now aching body.

"Mfmm..."

"Itachi…? Itachi-san, is that you? Shishou, quick come over here! He's awake!" _The afterlife is a lot noisier than I expected._

Through my hazy vision, I could make out two figures looming over me, and soon felt someone pulling at my top and dragging something cool over my chest. Next, light was shone into my eyes. Surprisingly, it did not hurt my vision but I did not appreciate being prodded and probed at, since I thought that afterlife is supposed to be peaceful and accommodating… Or was this my retribution?

"How is he?"

"Calm down, Sakura. He is fine. To be honest, I was shocked that he even regained consciousness, not after you bringing him in that wrecked condition. I cannot say I fully believed your explanation, in which I shall find out more in due time, Sakura."

"Hai, sumimasen, soushite, arigatou."

_Wrecked condition? What happened to me?_

"Also, for some reason his superior rectus and optic nerve were severely damaged. Thankfully for the latest technology that resourceful Jiraya managed to secure for us, I was able to restore them, along with some other muscles along his superior and inferior oblique. However, he would still need some aids to see clearly, since the damaged cannot be reversed." With that concluded, Tsunade, managing director and Sakura's master, left the room.

"Wher… Where am I?" I forced out between laboured breaths. My throat felt like it was on fire, and in dire need of water.

"The hospital. Here, have some water first." After I was probed up against the headboard of the bed, I was given a glass of water to sooth my dry throat. Gradually getting used to the brightness, my vision became more focused (as focus as the persisting blurriness allows) and I realised I was in a small room. The white walls were devoid of any decorations and emitted hints of fresh paint, while hanging next to the bed were a wall of cerulean cubicle curtains complementing the pale yellow ones pulled across the window to shelter against the brewing breeze.

"How are you feeling now?" I tilted my head and was met with a pair of big, sparkling jade orbs, fully focused on me. _She must have found me. I could not detect any chakra on her, it's unlikey she's a ninja._

However, what really caught my attention was the mass of pink hair resting just above her shoulders, looking so surreal and displaced yet it somehow suited the healthy complexion of this young woman, who has begun to reveal signs of worry at my lack of reaction.

"I am fine." Surreal or not, I knew nothing about her. Neither her village, nor her capabilities. I needed to know more, and began to eye her warily. To my surprise, she burst out laughing. Refraining from revealing anymore of my thoughts and emotions, I waited patiently for an explanation.

"Oh, don't worry Itachi-san; I am not some paparazzi- see, no cameras, notebooks or whatsoever! You can rest assure that no one will disturb you over here." _What is she saying?_

"How do you know my name?"

"How could anyone _not_ know your name? At least, the whole of Konoha knows about you. But after your venture to other places like the Rain and Sand, you can practically say that everybody knows about you."

_So, I must be in Konoha now. _However, something felt amiss. I did not sense any ANBU Black Ops around, and if the pink-head knew about me, then how could she remain so friendly in front of me? What about… _Sasuke_?

"After all, you are the heartthrob of all females, the legendary _Kanae _Itachi!"

Wait a second, did I hear _Kanae_? I did not recall anyone of my age group bearing similar name as me, much less a _Kanae_-san.

"On a serious note, how did you end up in my room though, Itachi-san? I had the biggest shock in my life- you were all beaten up and unconscious, I thought you were _dead_!"

"What happened to Sasuke? Did he come back?"

"I was all worried… What? Sasuke-kun? I could not contact him since he just left Konoha for his taijutsu training with Sensei, but don't worry, he will be back by next week."

"That's good." _He returned to the village, that's good._

"Ne, Itachi-san. Could you me excuse me for a second? Let me go fetch your dinner; you must be famished." I nodded my thanks and was left alone, at last. Although there were still plenty of ambiguities to be solved, I was heartened to hear that Sasuke came back and regained his status as a proud ninja of Konohagagure, where Naruto and his friends were. _Where we were from. _

Coming back to what she said, who could this Kanae Itachi be? Could he have casted a powerful genjutsu and deceived everyone that he was a Konoha ninja? It was plausible, but very unlikely since I would have detected any ignis fatuus, especially one of a massive scale. Flipping off the hospital blanket, I lifted my legs off the bed and walked towards the window and pushed aside the curtain. How long has it been since I last came back to Konoha, to check on Sasuke?

The first thing I noticed were the specks of lights scattered across the crepuscular landscape- my vision must be beyond hope now. In fact, I was astonished that I could still see after straining them so much during my battle with Sasuke. _I did not expect light to enter them once again. _

The next thing that I found disturbing was the perspective from the hospital. I was getting too good a view for a mere three storey high architecture. I observed a sea of vertical structures with irrational height emerging from the mass of low buildings that were reminiscent of those in Amegagure, but never present in Konoha. On the ground, there were multiple infinite tracks that seemed to stretch on beyond the darkness. Along the continuous paths I could make out a parade of rectangular figurines moving, undeviating from its designated path as though charging towards an impending war.

"What is going on?" My eyes began a frantic and futile attempt in searching for the Hokage's monument. What resided at its location was the same mountain, and if I recalled hard enough I could conjure up the five great Hokage's faces on the now vegetated mountain surface.

I took a reluctant step back and was instantly filled with an emotion so raw and so eerily familiar to the younger me – _helplessness_. This is Konoha, but no longer the Konoha that I knew of.

_What happened after I had passed out?_

* * *

"Itachi-san? Sorry I took so long! I didn't want you to have the hospital food so I went home to cook… Itachi-san…?" A sudden gust of wind from the window caught Sakura off-guard, causing her to drop the lunchbox, spilling its contents. She remained rooted to the ground, numbed against the scalding contents of her dinner on her feet. Itachi was _gone_. She began making sluggish steps towards the unmade bed. With her shaky hand, she picked up a piece of note lying on the bed in place of the owner.

"Oh no, this is bad… I've… I've got to find him!" Tucking the note carefully into her skirt's pocket, Sakura went after Itachi.

* * *

Scribbled in neat handwriting:

_Thank you, Sakura_.

* * *

**I've always wondered how Itachi would cope in the modern era, so here's how I envisioned it to be like. Comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, 3Q minna-san!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you, dear readers for giving this story a chance. That was enough to motivate me to continue on. So where did Itachi go? Read on to find out!**

* * *

**Chapter2 – All Alone (With you)**

"Shit…" Cursing softly under his breath, Itachi came to a rest on one of the sturdier tree branches, panting slightly. He had only managed to travel for a mere five kilometres from the hospital before he started to experience dizziness and fatigue. After overstraining himself during his fight to the death with his brother and not moving for more than a week after that, it has proven to be quite a challenge even for Itachi.

After leaping down from the window of Konoha Hospital, Itachi immediately headed for the dense canopies in favour of the wide concrete pathway next to the avenue of trees a few meters in front of the hospital entrance. After all, old habits die hard; ninjas during his days were used to travel in forested environment. Even Itachi was unaware of the fact that he instinctively headed for the shadows, like all those times travelling with his partner Kisame and… years back during his ANBU days.

To the untrained eyes, Itachi's swift movement through the trees could be mistaken for a sudden swipe of the wind, with minimal rustling of the foliage and nearly undetectable tapping sound from propelling himself off the branches, possible with his slender build.

By sheer luck, he discovered that while the architecture and culture of the village had evolved tremendously, the general layout of Konoha remained true to his knowledge. By using Konoha Hospital as a reference point, he was able to navigate through the foreign yet familiar spaces with little difficulty. It helped that most of the streets, tree species and several shops were where he remembered them to be. He was certain that he even caught a glimpse of the Dango store, filled with fond memories of the fragrance of his favourite snack, which he used to frequent as a teenager in Konoha.

As the ratio of the landscape to the buildings has drastically tipped, Itachi was forced to utilise more of his chakra to cover the extra distance between each trees. With Konohagagure being urbanised, most of the existing trees were manually planted, and as opposed to the wild ones, were more delicate and less mature. He was quick to pick that up after nearly tripping on several thinner and brittle branches. By focusing and redirecting his chakra to his feet, he could acquire better stability and reduce the force of contact between his feet and the weaker branches.

"Is this… Is this really Konoha?" After finally stopping for a much needed break, Itachi became less focused on his physical conditions and was immediately distracted by the blinking lights that seemed to come from everywhere. They came in a diversity of colours – there were bursts of crimsons and neon greens that were silently commanding the civilians and moving metal carriages' movements. It amazed him that how people's actions could be manipulated by simple blinks of lights willingly. It almost felt like an evolution of his sharingan, almost.

_No one's wearing the lead headband anymore, but I do see many people holding onto a small device._ For some peculiar reasons, Itachi felt that his eyesight were better, but still bad enough that anything further than three metres remained hazy.

A group of civilians, presumably a family, were strolling causally along the leaf-obscured pathway, chattering away over something called a movie…? They were coming close enough for Itachi to make-out that mysterious glowing device.

"Sharingan!" As the trio of commas surfaced on his now blazing crimson iris, he could see what was on the screen of the device that the lady was clutching.

"April… 2110?" Itachi's eyes widened._ That's over hundred years from my time! _He was struggling to remain calm. For what purpose was he sent here for? Was it only just him? Shouldn't he be dead? In all his unforeseen panic, he neglected to notice that the family had stopped below where he was taking shelter, and a boy toddler was staring intently at him.

"Look, Mum! There's a crow on the tree with red eyes!" Puzzled, the mother glanced up at the now empty and slightly crooked tree branch. Chuckling, she shook her head, amused by her child's imagination.

"Don't be silly! It's dark, you must be seeing things!"

* * *

"Itachi-san… Itachi-san, where the hell _are you_?" For someone who had been unconscious for over a week, Kanae Itachi sure has got stamina. After running continuously for the past twenty minutes, there were still no sign of him. Sakura felt at her wit's ends. While Konoha was not exactly big, it was not exactly _small,_ either.

A sudden gust of wind brushed passed her entire body, causing her to shiver involuntarily. In her hastiness to search for the missing patient,_ her_ missing patient, she neglected to grab the trench coat in her locker. Other than the knowledge of all his songs' lyrics, upcoming concert dates and locations, she knew next to nothing about Kanae Itachi. It was with such perfect timing that Sasuke-kun had to be out of town now, if not she could have drop by his house for some clues…

"I think I know where to find him!"

* * *

After forcefully weaselling her way through the crowded streets of the central market (it was T.G.I.F. and all), she finally reached the peaceful Uchiha district, where the Kanae compound resided. This was where most of the traditional pitched-roof terraces and mansions were preserved, with many dated back centuries ago. One of the largest mansions a little down the district entrance belonged to the Kanae family.

There was a popular myth saying that this district was once the property of a dominant clan of Konoha, known as the Uchiha clan, hence the name 'Uchiha district'. However, on one faithful night, there was a ruthless carnage that brought about the swift downfall of the dignified and powerful clan. It even went as far to suggest that the annihilator was a reputable member of the clan. She wondered how much of that tell-tale was true.

Pausing to take a breather, Sakura scanned the scarcely populated street and one figure immediately stood out to her. Instinctively, she started towards the direction of the lone figure.

He was staring intently at the red and white fan symbol imprinted onto the noren hanging at the entrance of the Kanae compound. _I wonder what that symbol means._

"Ita-"The last syllable was lost in her mouth; the intangible grieve and remorseful expression written across his otherwise picture perfect face caused Sakura to choke on her words. She had never witness such raw vulnerability from anyone, and especially not from Kanae Itachi. From his eyes and the slight downturn of his lips, he seems to be weighed down by an unsurmountable amount of burden and sorrow, unbeknown to others. For a spilt moment, Sakura could not recognise her idol.

"Please, leave me alone…" He remained rooted to his spot, eyes never once leaving the fan symbol.

"I-Itachi-sa-"

"I am not who you think I am." Sure, the Kanae Itachi she knew was a naturally low-key person, but he was never this distant, and this _quiet_. Sakura was beginning to worry that it had something to do with his injuries.

"But, Itachi-san…" Sakura took a sharp intake of the biting crisp air, not quite ready for what she saw. A pair of baleful, gleaming crimson eyes gazed upon her dilated jade pupils, and once again, she shuddered involuntarily, as though slapped by a malicious blast of night wind.

* * *

Itachi detected fear creeping out behind those stubborn pair of jade orbs, which were still focused on his activated Sharingan. He was tired of living a life of deception- better to scare her off for good than to live as her fantasy idol, whoever this Kanae Itachi was.

"I am not who you think I am."

"Th-then, who are you?" He was taken aback by the queer look of curiosity behind her innocent eyes; in fact he felt baffled that she was still talking to him.

"My name is Itachi, Uchiha Itachi."

* * *

"You're not... Kidding, aren't you." Sakura was doing all she could to prevent herself from turning and running off from where she came, to somewhere _safe_. Those eyes that looked like they belonged elsewhere and they were definitely not Kanae's. This man screamed danger.

"Do you know where we are now?" He questioned her in an eerily calm voice.

"Ye-yes? This is the Uchiha distr-"Wait_, didn't he say he is called… _No it could not be! Sakura quickly dismissed her silly notion; it was just a sick coincidence that he happened to bear the same surname as this district. _Right?_

"This was where I used to live." He supplied without waiting for her to complete her sentence. _He must be from an affluent background._ He momentarily broke their eye-contact to glance at the Kanae compound – a two storey mansion that was partly enshrouded in the darkness of the night.

"Do you know the story behind the Uchiha district?"

"I-I guess so…? Uchiha is the name of one of Konoha's dominant clan decades ago but they were annihilated one night, presumably by someone of the clan…?" At the mention of the annihilation, Itachi returned his attention to Sakura, intrigued by her knowledge of this subject, of his family.

"Oh I heard they were ninjas? They had to handle shurikens and perform assassinations with a sharp blade across the neck of the enemies." Sakura went off animatedly, the tension of the movement temporarily forgotten.

"You mean like this?"

"Yes, like th-"Sakura's innocent jade eyes widened in surprise at the brief disappearance of Itachi's presence. It was immediately replaced by a suffocating sensation; her heart cringed in fear at the polished razor-sharp blade, now held at an uncomfortably close distance next to her throat. She could feel Itachi's warm breath against the back of her hair.

"Don't move." At this point, Itachi was leaning slightly against her, holding his kunai an inch towards her pale neck and they were literally just a breath away.

"Please don't hurt me…" Sakura had a close call with Death himself, and this sudden turn of event evoked the long-surpassed memories and emotions from that incident. She succumbed to the oppressive fear and let out a soft whimper at the helplessness of the situation. Her life was at the complete mercy of this handsome stranger. Death felt like a breath away. Itachi remained unmoved, silently observing her from her back.

"You don't belong here do you? Those eyes and that inhumane speed… Let me help you, so please don't kill me…" Sakura discarded her dignity and was begging shamelessly to be spared, willing to go to any extend just to see the crack of dawn. _I can't die, not yet._

"Alright." Itachi withdrew his hand and kept his kunai at the hidden pocket on his pants beneath the loose hospital top. Sakura was instantly drowned by a sense of relief, and scepticism.

"Y-you sure? I could be lying and report you to the Police, you know."

"And why would you do that?" Now that they were back to the conversational mode, Itachi no longer appeared as menacing as before. Sakura dared a glimpse at his eyes and discovered that they were no longer gleaming red. _It must be the darkness and light playing tricks to my eyes._

In fact, he seemed rather harmless, smugly raising his eyebrow and challenging her pathetic empty threat. Sakura huffed in disbelief. _Guys can be so full of themselves._

"On the account of my Kanae Itachi-san, I shall… Keep to my promise. _Alright_?" She felt deflated and resigned to the situation. Itachi merely nodded his head.

"Where do you live?"

_Oh, what have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

Sakura escorted Kana- Uchiha Itachi towards her twenty-storey high apartment with the enthusiasm of a middle-schooler waking up at six in the morning. Sakura sighed inwardly; she sneaked a look at the stranger sauntering next to her, the earlier murderous intent completely lost with each approaching steps to his temporary new home.

Here she was living her dream of bringing home an exceedingly stunning eye-candy, who also happened to hold an uncanny resemblance to her idol Kanae Itachi (seriously, and the same name?), yet she was feeling none of the vicarious thrill from her over-active imagination. Sakura was disappointed.

"This is a good life lesson – don't expect dreams to be as good as reality; you are just setting yourself up for disappointment." Sakura muttered out loud to herself while brooding over her ruined fantasy.

"Did you say something, Sakura-san?" Itachi asked without commitment to a startled Sakura. "Wh-what? No, it's nothing. And how do you know my name?" That was the bugging question that she has been dying to know since he left the note addressed to her name at the hospital.

"I am a ninja; I am trained to collect intel." How shrewd of him to answer her question while being vague with the details. Sakura clicked her tongue at his elusive and absurd response. _Did he just call himself a ninja? He must be either delusional or deranged. _She thought she caught a slight tug at the corner of his lips, but she was uncertain. Nothing was certain the moment he entered her life, without warning.

* * *

"Konbanwa, Kotetsu-san. Is Izumo-san off for the day?"

"Konbanwa, Sakura-chan! That's right. I'm handling the night shift today." Kotetsu Hagane boomed. Sakura nodded sympathetically in reply. Being the Head of Security of the Haruna Residence meant three things – Responsibility, Restless nights and Ridiculous working hours. In that aspect, Kotetsu-san seemed to be coping fine, if you exclude the dark circles surfacing under his eyes and the slightly havoc hairstyle.

"Speaking of which, aren't you late tonight! Did you find yourself a commitment?" Kotetsu winked, causing Sakura to blossom into various shades of pink, while sending fugitive glances at Itachi. His cool facade remained indecipherable.

"N-no! Mou, Kotetsu-san! Alright I'm going in, thanks for the good job, as usual!" Nudging Itachi, they entered the compound with the speed of a hot-blooded housewife during an annual big sale.

It was only after they had brisk past the chortling night-shifter that she realised something - it was extremely wise and polite of Kotetsu-san to omit making small-talk and comments on her rare male companion.

It would have been awkward.

* * *

"Come on here, I live on the tenth floor." Sakura prompted him languidly towards the lift.

"We aren't using the stairs?" Itachi enquired with mild curiosity.

"For goodness' sake, I just said I live on the TENTH FLOOR, and in case you didn't know, that's quite HIGH UP." Sakura did not bother that she was acting like a cranky old spinster; she was too washed out to maintain her lady-like poise in front of her idol look-alike. Upon the lack of response from the lift, her eyes fumed with disgruntlement that the up button failed to light up.

"Damn, what's the use of providing a lift if it's breaking down all the time?" Sakura yelled unapologetically at the non-responsive lift, the only reply being the high-pitched echo that resounded throughout the lobby.

Itachi appeared thoughtful. For a second, he remained stationary in front of the offending lift, whatever it was; unaware of the reason why this door was causing such discomposure to Sakura. He moved closer towards Sakura and wordlessly lifted her against his solid chest, bridal-style.

"Eek! What are you doing? Put me down!" Sakura shrieked, and began to batter unglamorously at Itachi's surprisingly toned chest, much to her irritation. _What is he going to do to me now?_

Itachi began running towards the lush courtyard in the middle of the compound, surrounded by the apartment units. Effortlessly and with the grace that only a slender man like himself could pull off, he carried Sakura and himself up to the tallest tree. Next, he propelled them from one branch towards a thicker branch hanging adjacent to the tenth floor corridor, before hopping onto the bare corridor with a dull click of his sandals.

Sakura was rendered speechless, by whatever stunt this Uchiha Itachi just pulled on her. Itachi noticed her lack of movement, and gently nudged her out of her reverie. She leaped out of his embrace like a child who touched a hot kettle.

"You did not just jump from the first floor onto the tallest tree, and landed unscathed on the tenth floor, _while carrying me_." Itachi remained passive, once again baffled by her disconcertment at solving their predicament. _Was it uncommon to travel by trees these days?_

"Which is your apartment, Sakura-san?"

* * *

Itachi carefully slipped off his sandals before stepping into Sakura's two-room apartment, tugged at the extreme corner of the barren corridor. As expected of a lady's apartment, it was kept pristine and delicate flower arrangements of lily of the valley, orange blossom and red tulips were displayed on the round white polished coffee table. The small rectangular space has a black leather sofa with diamond embellishments on the indents of the back pillows, leaning against the wall with an organic stand lamp next to it, now casting a soft yellow glow in the room. Apart from a wooden picture frame and a round clock that adorned the spotless white wall, it was otherwise minimally decorated.

They made a right turn into her bedroom. The first thing that jumped at him was the posters of himself, of _Kanae_ Itachi, along the left profile of the wall. In one of them, Kanae was shirtless, wearing a slightly baggy black leather pants with a chain dangling from the side pocket, in a walking stance focused defiantly ahead. Itachi frowned at the brashness of this Itachi person (he was tempted to say himself) and perturbed that such an inappropriate image was inside a lady's room.

"What you staring at?" Sakura questioned tactlessly. She was only aware of the sheer quantity of Kanae Itachi's posters lined along the wall until she saw him eyeing her prized possessions. For the first time, she was mildly embarrassed by her extensive collection, possibly because no opposite gender (other than Naruto) had ever entered her apartment, much less her bedroom. She saw his eyes narrowed at the half-naked poster of Kanae from his ILLUSION concert two year back, and decided that was enough for tonight.

"You-"

"You have a nice place." For the umpteen time, she was thrown off by the sincerely and serenity of his usually distant tone. Their eye made contact; his irises were no longer the fiery red but now a dull tone of charcoal, and she could not help but reluctantly noticed, the thick set of lashes that framed his feline eyes. A little down his tear ducts laid a deep crease stretching outwards on each side of his face.

Before she was about to be lost in the abyss of his surreal exquisiteness, she hastily cleared her throat and declared a tad too loudly to Itachi,"You can have the bed." Sakura was really just acting her role as a generous host, and she just so happened to have changed her bed sheets this morning, that lucky chad.

Itachi seemed like he wanted to argue, but after detecting the torrent of counterargument at the tip of Sakura's tongue, waiting to be unleashed, he decided it was not worth his effort. Besides, he was entirely beat from all that running, not to mention the shock of this absurd situation. Itachi mutedly nodded.

_More haste, less spee__d. I shall stay by this Sakura girl and gather more intel about this strange world tomorrow._

"Good, now let me go take a shower. You, stay in this room and rest. I'm sure you are tired, ne?" Sakura offered good-naturedly, albeit wearily. She did not wait for his answer and went on to grab a fresh set of night wear before making a bee-line for the bathroom.

* * *

"Gosh, why am I being so friendly to him? He threatened and nearly killed me just now!" She knew that letting a male stranger to her house was dangerous, that this man was dangerous; she was literally inviting danger to her doorstep.

The clear lucid water gliding down her shoulder blades, gently caressing her with their barely there touch reminded her of the earlier skin-contact with Uchiha Itachi, when he carried them to the tenth floor without even batting an eyelash. She discovered that he evaded her question (to how he carried them up) again, this time with a diversion. _He must be a mentalist or something._

Despite her porcelain skin, radiance complexion and slim build, she has never dated before. Not after she has set her eyes on that spiky head of raven hair, Sasuke-kun, _her _Sasuke-kun. He was the walking manifestation of every girl's dream – incredibly intelligent with off-the-charts charisma, and the aloofness that surrounded him just seemed to draw in on a lady's penchant for bad boys.

Sakura sighed as she relinquished the feelings of Itachi's firm grip around her, as though protecting her from the world's harm. It felt so comforting and warm; it was no wonder why Ino was always going on about how amazing it was to snuggle in the crook of her boyfriend's embrace.

"If only they were Sasuke-kun's, then I would really die with no regrets!"

* * *

Itachi was lying awkwardly on Sakura's bed, unused to resting on a maiden's bed. He could make out the rhythmic splashing of the water dancing against the bathroom floor. It seemed to lure him into a false sense of tranquillity, which he unwillingly accepted with open arms. His body required the rest, and he knew it. He stared aimlessly at the bleak ceiling, recalling the day's events.

He could only come to an unsatisfactory conclusion - he has never felt so uncertain in his entire life.

* * *

**Thank you, for reading to the end of this chapter. Feel free to leave comments/reviews so I can better improve for the subsequent chapters ^^**


	3. My Illusion, My Reality

**Chapter 3 – My Illusion, My Reality**

_**The next morning**_

_Ahh, there's somebody standing in my room... I'm so sleepy... Wait, that looks like Kanae Itachi... Why is he smiling at me? Whatever, his smile looks so good… But why does it feel like a Deja vu?_

"Whoa!" Sakura abruptly sat up from the mattress, stirred awoke from her bizarre dream. The room was dark with the curtains drawn, but she was certain she neglected to draw it shut the night before. Speaking of which, what was she doing, depriving herself of her warm and comfy bed and sleeping on the cold hard floor?

"Good morning, Sakura-san," came a polite male greeting.

"Eeek! Itachi-san! Why are you in my room? Oh my god, am I still dreaming?" Sakura smacked herself twice on the cheek, rubbed off the remaining sleep in her eyes, and peered carefully at the lone figure. He was standing in front of her shelf of extensive literature, head tilted down at her direction. Just like that, the previous night's episode came on like a bad replay. Itachi remained unaffected by her chameleon of facial expressions, and watched on patiently as understanding finally dawn upon her jade orbs.

"Oh, it's just _you_, good morning indeed." _And here I thought that my idol was in my room, how silly of me. _Itachi raised a tentative eyebrow, not wanting to provoke her any further. Since he never had the opportunity to lounge in the same room as a female, he was unsure of the appropriate behaviour other than a habitual good morning greeting. Maybe it was different with the ladies?

Sakura unzipped and self-consciously crawled out of her poorly insulated sleeping bag, and started packing it. Even though Itachi's attention went back to the book shelves and was no longer on her, it was still unnerving to wake up and be in the same room as a male, much less a male as earth-shattering gorgeous as him. She made her way to the kitchen sink and was mortified by what was on the mirror – uncoordinated hair, dark circles and a hideous set of pyjamas left by her late mother. Once again, Sakura smacked her now flustered cheeks in disbelief. She recalled grabbing it hastily last night just to break away from the intensity of their eye contact.

"I feel like such a klutz... And I've always thought I was quite a refined lady." She muttered between mouthfuls of mint toothpaste. Spitting off the remaining toothpaste, she was greeted by another unexpected sight – home-made breakfast on the practically unused glass dining table. Most of the time, she would either eat over at Naruto or Ino's apartment or during her part-time hours, she would dine out with the quirky staffs there. Itachi was leaning against the kitchen sliding door, gauging her reaction.

"You made this?"

"I would say I assembled, since I didn't actually cook anything." He was not just being modest. On the table laid two plates of sandwich, "assembled" from the bag of wholegrain sliced breads kept inside her food container, a freshly purchased tomato from the basket of fruits on her dining table, assorted lettuce and mayonnaise which he must have come upon while savaging through her refrigerator. To top it off, there was even two clean cups of papaya juice freshly prepared from that expensive juice blender tucked away in her bottom kitchen cabinet, happily purchased but never in use (as her dining table).

Besides the overly thoughtful and nutritious breakfast, he left no trace of activity in the otherwise spic and span kitchen.

Sakura was impressed. Make that _very _impressed.

"W-wow, thanks. You didn't have to, you know?"

"It's for last night. I apologise for being... Intrusive. Hope I didn't scare you too much." Sakura could tell that he was sincere from the way his eyes softened around the edges and the slight downturn tilt of his head. The raw hostility and coldness now felt like a bad dream. Sakura relaxed and smiled.

"Come on, let's eat."

* * *

Sakura felt more energetic after the peaceful and silent breakfast with Itachi and her quick shower. She hastily took down her dried underwear hanging in the bathroom, careful to shield it from his line of vision, and made a dash for her room.

"Your turn, Itachi-san." Itachi nodded and entered in a moment's heartbeat.

"Thank goodness it's Sunday so no work for today..." Sakura mumbled while lightly padding some loose powder over her near flawless skin. Usually, she was very passionate over her part-time job, but now that she has one more head to look after, it did not feel right to dump him alone in her apartment to go stitching other patient's wounds. There was also the "proper" explanation that she owed Lady Tsunade, which she had not had the mind to come up with yet.

"Knock-knock, Sakura-san, are you home?"

"Ah, yes coming!" _Who was that, so early in the morning?_

"LEE? What are you doing here? It's seven in the morning!" Rock Lee (A rather memorable name, but not necessarily in a good way, Sakura thought) was one year her senior at their school. He held a stunning resemblance to the prominent Chinese martial arts fighter, Bruce Lee, topping off with bushier eye-brows, extremely round eyes with short lower lashes at wide intervals (oh dear) and lime green spandex overalls in place of Bruce's classic yellow.

It was quite a (disturbing) sight.

They were not particularly close, except that the whole of their school were well-informed of his steadfast crush on Sakura, even with the knowledge that it was unrequited. She had rejected him on countless occasions that she just could not find the heart to stop his relentless love confessions.

"Good morning, Sakura-san! I dropped by the hospital this morning to visit Gai-sensei, and Shizune-san requested me to pass this bag to you?" Lee replied with an enthusiasm that should not be present at this time of the day.

"Oh, thank you Lee-san. Sorry to trouble you over such trivial matters." Even though she felt that Lee could be too determined for his own good, she could not deny the amicable air surrounding his jovial nature. He was also one of the few people she had met that did not gag at her pink hair when they first met, and she was grateful.

"Anytime for you, Sakura-san! She also reminded you to go find her, saying you left without a word the last night? Ok, got to run, I still have approximately twenty kilometres to cover for this morning!" He was gone with the wind before she even managed to utter a decent farewell. Lee also happened to be a... Compulsive exercise addict. Sakura sighed and shut the door.

Sakura perched herself on the sofa edge and began pulling out the mysterious contents of the bag. It could not be that leftover pizza from last night's staff gathering, right? Gagging, she proceeded to pull out a navy blue headband with a metal plate screwed by the sides on the centre. It was carved with the Konoha town symbol, with a long scratch mark drawn over it.

"What is this doing in his possession? Is Itachi-san in some kind of Konoha protest campaign?" She mused and mulled over it for a second, before shoving it aside and to mention it again sometime.

Next, she extracted out that faithful lavender top and matching bottom, along with a mesh top and a pair of white leggings, all freshly laundered.

"Shizune-san is so nice, guess she deserves more than just a piece of my cooking." She made up her mind to get her something worthwhile.

There was also her touch-screen phone, which explained the silence from her usually rowdy coterie. As expected, it was dead. She mindlessly plugged it to the nearest power socket.

She felt around the paper bag and skimmed across something cool at the bottom. It was a necklace with multiple oval silver pendants that were hollow in the centre. She was surprised that Itachi was into accessories, given his preference for plain apparels. She ran her fingers lightly overs each of the pendants.

"So beautiful, yet the part where the heart is was hollow, like the owner."

* * *

Sakura had to surpass her laughter when she saw Itachi stepping out of the shower. She was so distracted by his presence that she completely missed something amusing – his current attire. Since the previous night, he had been striding around in that hideous green hospital attire. Even though it was hand-picked by Sakura and Lady Tsunade, it was mostly a forced acceptance on her part. After all, she was a mere part-timer, and who was she to object her lady boss when she was practically raving over the softness of those garments

"What's so funny, Sakura-san?" You could trust Itachi to catch on to every of her mood changes.

"It's nothing. Here, something nice- nicer for you to wear. We've got to return that attire you're wearing to the hospital, you know?" Itachi did not particularly enjoy being ordered around, especially not by some weak teenager. However, she did provide him shelter and food, so it was the least for him to accept whatever that came, for now.

Itachi grudgingly accepted the paper bag, and returned to the shower. Sakura observed his retreating back, filled with ambivalence. Despite the hideousness of the clothing, it somehow appeared _chic _on him, in a minimalist and unconventional manner. With him sticking around, Sakura was sure that there would be something to be amazed about, every day.

* * *

She was still seated on the sofa when Itachi came out of the bathroom.

"Not going anywhere?"

"Why not we have a talk? Come, have a seat, _Uchiha _Itachi-san." Sakura said using her saccharine voice, usually reserved before reprimanding Naruto over his silly pranks.

Itachi knew this was inevitable, but he was not exactly feeling social, especially since even he was unsure of his current plight. Sakura tried the softer approach.

"I know this is hard, but I want to try and help you in any way I can, ne, Itachi-san?" Itachi released an inaudible sigh, before sinking onto the sofa beside her. Sakura felt her heart rate picking up against her will.

"S-so, Itachi-san, why not you begin by explaining your purple nails?" _That was not what I wanted to say!_

"I'm sorry?" He glanced down at his slightly chipped polished finger nails, brows furrowed in contemplation.

"Er-hem, let me rephrase that. You said you are a ninja?" Sakura figured that the ideal question would be to begin with something he claimed, given that she knew next to nothing about him besides his bizarre obsession to purple.

"Do you think that I'm lying?" Itachi's voice was laced with curiosity.

"Actually, I don't see any reason for you to lie. I'm neither rich nor pretty, and there's nothing desirable about me, what good would come out for lying to me?" Sakura rattled out unapologetically. She had long come to terms with herself that she needed none to lead a content life – she had lost her two most important links and everything was dull in comparison. _Except maybe Sasuke-kun_.

She really did not expect him to console her pity-party, but he could have at least contradicted her words with a measly 'That's not true;' surely that was not too hard? She should start lowering her expectations in life.

"You mentioned that I was found unconscious in your room?" Instead, he had to change the subject. However, now that Itachi mentioned it, Sakura was blown that it had completely slipped her mind.

"That's right; do you remember how you ended up in my room?" She was dying for a legitimate answer. Itachi's only response was a far-away look, before he shot up from the sofa.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"To the crime scene."

* * *

Sakura had never felt so blind in her whole life. Hanging next to her bed, where the life size poster of Kanae Itachi lay, was a gaping white space, which she failed to notice. She literally was hanging a white paper against her white wall. She rushed towards her bed and anxiously ran her hands over its smooth surface.

"This is terrible! Where did my Itachi-san go?"

"Calm down Sakura-san. You panicking will not change anything." What Itachi really wanted to reply was - _I'm behind you if you're looking for me_.

"You don't know anything! This poster practically saved my life! It's the only reason we're in my room and having this conversation!" Itachi was askance at how a lifeless sheet of glossy paper could have such life-saving ability, so he decided to focus on the original issue at hand.

"Which part of this room did I land on?" That might shed some light to this senseless situation.

Sakura took in a steady deep breath, clenched and unclenched her shaking fists, before replying.

"It's on this bed, which you slept on last night," Sakura added redundantly.

He deliberated for a moment, while his eyes went darting back and forth between the bed and the poster, the area around his eyes hardening.

"As absurd as it is for you to believe I'm a ninja, I believe that I landed in your room through the poster of your idol," he closed his eyes as a form of conclusion.

"What?" Sakura breathed out. She was not only blind; she must also be hallucinating now. _What is he saying?_

"It's time you realised something." Itachi took a determined step forward and was staring intently at Sakura; she felt overwhelmed with a vague premonition of doom.

"Sakura-san, I'm not from this world."

"Ne, Itachi-san… Now's not really the time for jokes. Don't think that just because you can move like a ninja and jump to high grounds…" Sakura's pupils widen in uncertainty, unsure to just take his words lightly or in the literal sense. However, judging from the grave expression on his face, she was beginning to buy onto the latter.

"You've got to be kidding me," Sakura felt herself aged tenfold, and went sagged against the wall by her bed.

Itachi remained where he was, standing awkwardly in an alien environment. He hated to admit it, to concede to the fact that his Mankekyou Sharingan was drastically weak, and practically a child's play in comparison to this ultimate land of illusion where he was forced upon, with no way out.

* * *

A minute, an instant or a little more had passed by, but they held no significance to the duo. For them, time might as well have stopped running.

"Ne, Itachi-san," there came a distant sounding voice.

"Hmm?"

"Shall we go shopping? People will look at you funny should you continue wearing like this." Truth be told, Sakura was in no mood for anything, much less to shop. She was deliberately going against the saying, "Fact do not ceased to exist because they are ignored." In fact, the line between fact and fiction was growing blurry with each passing moment.

"… Alright."

"What? You do know what shopping is right, _ninja _Itachi-san?" Sakura mocked, intentionally putting emphasis on the word 'ninja'. Itachi closed his eyes, as though in frustration.

"I shall wait for you by the entrance."

* * *

…

_Do I appear to be so unpresentable that she has to suggest a shopping trip… In the midst of a crisis?_

"Sorry for waiting, let's go get you redressed up!" The earlier lacklustre eyes were completely wiped out, replaced with an impish glint, causing Itachi to have second thoughts about his earlier ill-considered decision to accept her invitation.

On their way passing by the surprisingly empty guard house, Sakura attempted an ice breaker.

"So Itachi-san, tell me about yourself." He casted a side-way glance at her, unsure of what or where to begin.

"My name is Uchiha Itachi, and I am a ninja from where I came from," Itachi announced as a matter-of-factly.

"You are a ninja and magically teleported here from another world, I got that alright," Sakura replied sarcastically. Itachi deftly chose to ignore her caustic remark.

"What about your place of birth? You did mention that you used to live here right?" After waiting for a nod of confirmation, she continued on indignantly, "If you were from another freaking world, then how did you happen to live here, in this world too?"

"My world bears many similarities to yours, Sakura-san. You may not know this, but my hometown is also called Konoha."

They had just arrived at the outskirts of the central market, avoiding the jam by taking the route along the peaceful street of the Uchiha district. Sakura screeched to a stop, mentally putting two and two together.

"Hold on a second. You said you are a ninja; your hometown is Konoha and you used to live here– are you saying that you came from the past?" Sakura was flabbergasted by her illogical conclusion. _Is that even possible?_

"I believe that's the best way of putting it, Sakura-san." Itachi thought that hearing it from another person's mouth made his circumstances sounded more like a reality.

"I knew that it was recorded in the history that ninjas used to exist in many states, including Konoha, but saying you came from the past? That's just too much." Sakura was struggling to maintain her sense of rationality, refusing to submit despite hearing the most plausible reasoning to his abrupt appearance so far.

Itachi was supposed to be dead, and not living a second time in the future with no possible future. He never wished to have anything for himself other than being the pillar of support of his dear little brother. He had played his part, didn't he?

"Itachi-san, what is the meaning of this?" This was meant to be a delightful shopping trip between a guy with a disastrous sense of fashion and a concerned part-time medic, with no complications. Why did it have to turn into a Discovery channel time-travel episode?

Itachi burrowed his eyebrows and seemed to be waging an internal war to his following course of action. His eyes swiped up and found hers. He edged closer towards a bewildered Sakura, Sharingan activated and blazing in all its mighty glory, causing her to back against the filthy brick wall.

"…!"

"Allow me to show you, the Konoha where I came from."

* * *

"_Are you leaving for your mission now? Will you be coming back home for dinner?" There came a female voice drifting passed her ears like a gentle morning breeze._

What's going on? _Sakura scanned her surroundings, and Itachi was nowhere in sight. She was alone standing awkwardly in the way of the sudden activity of civilians striding along the Uchiha District. She was astonished to find that nearly everyone were donning on an identical black tee-shirt with the familiar-looking fan shape symbol on their back, which she came across somewhere. In stark contrast to her pink pastel sundress, she felt that she stood out like a sore thumb. Some of them had on an outer navy green bomber jacket, with the similar forehead protector in Itachi's possession. There was not any with a harsh slash over it._

"_Yes Mother, and no I'm not sure." That voice! Sakura spun to her right, only to realise she was facing the Kanae compound, but something felt amiss. She inched her way forward, daring a peek over the noren with the all too familiar fan symbol imprinted on it. In fact, the symbol was also carved across the walls along the entire stretch of the district, looking relatively clean in comparison to the dirty one she was leaning against a while ago._

"_I know you are very capable, but please be careful, Itachi." Sakura could no longer contain her composure – sitting on the threshold of the Kanae mansion was Itachi-san, idly wearing his sandals while the owner of that melodious female voice, presumably his Mother, was addressing him behind, her body language and tone laced with tender concern._

How sweet, but why am I seeing this? Which Itachi-san am I watching now?

"_I'll be taking my leave." Itachi hopped from the threshold onto the same floor level as her, and proceeded to take a right turn from the exit cum entrance. She noticed he was wearing the leaf headband, but without a slash over it. _This must be Uchiha Itachi, then. But why am I seeing this?

_At this precise moment, there came an adorable child wearing an identical but slightly over sized tee-shirt as everyone along the district, dashing in her direction. Before she could leap out of his way, he went spontaneously passing through her. Just then, everything felt into place._

This must be Uchiha Itachi-san's memories! But, how?

_The scene went vaporising and she was transported into dimly lit woodlands. She inhaled deeply and was instantly filled with a charge of refreshing crisp air. She closed her eyes, relishing in this ephemeral moment, and felt that she had been deprived of clean air all her life. It smelt of mildew, wood and rustling leaves. A ting of nostalgia went coursing through her body, inexplicable to her._

_In the clearing ahead, she could make out the pitter-patter of moving feet. With the curiosity of a learning child, she felt herself drawn towards the sound. There was a teen, perhaps a few years her junior, setting up multiple bull's eye boards around the clearing. As the place was lacking in light, she could not put a face to the boy teen._

_After the initial setup was completed, he retreated to the centre, lowered his head, and closed his eyes in concentration. Sakura was taking cover behind one of the nearby maple tree, looking on while she swallowed a mouthful of saliva in anticipation._

_One moment he was on the ground and the next he was gone like a flash of lightning. Her eyes caught him mid-air, armed with those threatening sharp blades. He performed a slick somersault and the instant his body flipped with his head (pointing downward) perpendicular to the ground, he began to deftly fire off the blades systematically, in seemingly random directions. Next, he pulled out a pair of similar blades and launched them accurately towards two specific blades, causing them to be propelled off course._

_Everything happened within seven seconds, with each precious second fully utilised. The boy strategically timed every move down to the instant his feet made contact with the ground, all blades hit the bull's eye precisely on the mark one after another, like a chain reaction._

_Sakura was unaware that she was holding her breath, when he suddenly looked up and she was greeted by that familiar pair of sharp crimson orbs, partially obscured by the black locks falling around his pale cheeks. She was paralysed with dismay and bewilderment, but sane enough to figure no normal human being could pull off that level of stunt, unless he was a ninja. No, unless he was Uchiha Itachi._

_Her mind was truly blown off when her attention was pulled away by the reflection of a blade sticking defiantly out of the bull's eye sitting behind a big boulder._

Amazing, he even got a bull's eye on the target at a blind spot-

"_Amazing, Brother! You even got a bull's eye on the target behind the rock!" Sakura was startled out of her jumbled thoughts by a youthful voice coming from a few metres away from her location. She twisted around and was surprised to discover it was that boy in that oversize tee-shirt. She was so distracted by Itachi's finesse that she failed to sense his presence._

"_Alright! I can do it too!" The boy exclaimed and simultaneously pulled out a pair of sharp blades from thin air. She was really concerned by the fact that his parents permitted the liberal use of such deadly tools, and was aching to stretch out and grab those nasty weapons out of the toddler's grasp._

Hold on, did that boy just called Itachi-san 'Brother?'

Like a rock that has shattered into a million pieces, the scene evaporated and she was brought back to reality, leaning heavily against the filthy wall. Itachi was regarding her with wistful eyes, flashing prominently red; definitely not the lights playing tricks on her eyes.

"Itachi-san, did… Did you just show me your memories? What did you do to me?" Sakura felt slightly petrified by this surreal experience, yet it also left behind a ting of bitter-sweet sensation in her head.

"That was a genjutsu, an illusion that allows the user to control the opponent's mind and deceive it into seeing what the caster desires," Itachi paused and noticed that Sakura was shrinking and hugging herself, as though protecting herself while moving unconsciously away from him. Nevertheless, he continued with his explanation.

"All I did was merely showing you a small piece of my memory, so don't worry, Sakura-san. It will not have any detrimental effects on your brain," Itachi added thoughtfully. Upon hearing his last sentence, Sakura visibly relaxed, and her short-lived fear was replaced by an arousing curiosity at Itachi's unique ability.

"So, does that mean all ninjas can perform this kind of trick?" Sakura enquired like a child wondering what a rainbow is.

"Sadly, that is not the case. It is highly dependent on the ninja's personal strength and affinity with… His inner energy," Itachi added lamely, unsure of any other way to define chakra.

"Wow, so you can still use your… Genjutsu here? That's… That's amazing, Itachi-san! I have no idea ninjas have special powers besides specialising in lethal weapons!" Seeing how delighted and impressed Sakura was made Itachi felt self-conscious and homesick, by memories of Sasuke stalking him, of him suddenly bursting out of the bush and singing praises after his training sessions.

"It seems like that's the case." Even Itachi was taken aback by this discovery, back when he had successfully casted a genjutsu on the toddler who caught him on the tree branch.

"You were not lying all these times," Sakura immediately felt awful for all the mockeries and negative comments she had thrown at Itachi; she thought that should their circumstances be switched and she was the one being chastised by him, she would have felt miserable, and extra lonely.

"I was not lying, and never wanted to, not if I had to." Sakura felt that he was referring to a distant matter, but after sharing this valuable part of him with her, any vestige of suspicions towards him gradually became non-existent.

"So… The Uchiha District was once your clan's property…" She could not believe the words she was uttering; the clan system was such an archaic concept that if it was not for Itachi's… Genjutsu, she would not for a hundred years gave her complete credence to the Uchiha story's tell-tale.

"…"

"And the Kanae compound was where you used to live…" Sakura felt like a parrot. _And you are no doubt a hundred percent authentic ninja._

Itachi was spotting a faraway look in his eyes, no doubt reminiscing about his hometown, his _era's_ hometown.

"I… Thank you for trusting me. S-sorry for poking fun at you, Itachi-san…" He glance down at her, and once again, she felt her consciousness swallowed up by the endless lustre of those hypnotising eyes. Those onyx commas that signified his incomplete life story, with more to come in the future, in the future with her.

Itachi deactivated his Sharingan to prevent anyone from landing their eyes upon his blood red ones; it would be tricky should he end up having to resort to casting the entire street of people into his mirage. He offered a semblance of a smile at Sakura, silently gratified by her almost instantaneous acceptance of his otherworldly side, in the most literal sense of the phrase.

"Don't you always want to know about me? Some things are better described without words."

* * *

They got Itachi five sets black of loose tee-shirt, slim-fitting bermudas, two pair of slim-fitting jeans 'to catch up with the times' and a pair of black leather boots, against Itachi's protest. "Take it as my welcoming gift! Besides, they are hot!" _Sure, they are definitely hot (to wear)_, Itachi thought.

He managed to ignore her other 'constructive feedback,' like her suggesting him to discard those 'comfy and unflattering wear to flaunt his impressive built' and him insisting he preferred discretion and practicality.

"You're just shy, Itachi-san." _He was probably not even aware of his oozing charisma and splendid body, which just increases his desirability with the ladies. _Sakura reflected, watching at how Itachi seemed to titillate the women of the mall with every flip of his tantalising pony-tail.

"I'm paying, so I believe I get to pick what I deem suitable," Itachi declared as he spontaneously flashed out a dense set of notes, to a gaping Sakura. Though slightly over the hill, they were still perfectly relevant, as the market still accepted the obsolete notes, much to Sakura's displeasure.

"Where did you hide all those notes? I didn't come across any when the staff strip- uh, unclothed you!"

_Unclothe? What a disturbing notion…_ "As I repeated countless times, I am a ninja, and I happen to specialise in the art of concealment."

"That's… Good for you I guess," Sakura vowed to pick up some of his tips and tricks to prevent any Sasuke's secret photographs from being disclosed to Ino's prying eyes and Naruto's chanced encounter on her beloved treasure. _After all, it's not like you can come across a ninja with sheer luck!_

* * *

"Mou… Weekends are such a downer. You can never find any seats in any restaurants!" Sakura was not a person who indulged in exorbitant delicacies, but she did not think treating Itachi to Naruto's stash of instant ramen at her house was an appropriate welcoming gesture.

"Why not order a takeaway? It's quieter to eat at your house too," Itachi suggested helpfully.

"Urgh, you're right. Waitress!" After leaving the overcrowded restaurant with two packets of Japanese curry with katsu dons, Sakura recalled her earlier plans.

"Itachi-san, I need to head over to the hospital for a while. Why not you take our dinner and these shopping bags home? I'll catch up in a jiffy!"

"Alright."

Sakura was really warming up to Itachi – he was one of the rarer guys who always respected her decisions (except with regards to those form-fitting tee-shirts) with no questions asked.

"Here are my house keys. It's the pink one, but I believe you already know that!" With that, she skittered off. Itachi stood still for a second to observe her retreating back, tilting his head slightly in amusement.

"What an energetic girl."

* * *

"Good afternoon, Shizune-san! Sorry for leaving so abruptly the other night, and thank you so much for that bag of clothes! You are the sweetest, you know that?" Sakura was shamelessly sucking up to Shizune, and both of them knew it. Sakura knew how much Shizune loved hearing flattering words, which was how she got Shizune to shower her with mouth-watering pastries despite her frenetic schedule.

"Stop it Sakura, you know I am going to believe everything you said…" Shizune sighly dramatically, already falling for her apple-polishes.

"No, I meant it! As an expression of gratitude, I got you a little something…" Sakura cleared the loose papers on the receptionist desk, before placing her present – a cage, on the cleared space.

"What's this? Oh, Sakura, you didn't!" Shizune carefully plucked out the pink animal snoring in the white and grey cage, in an attempt to not stir it awake. Pigs prized sleep before anything else, after all.

"I knew you loved it more than anybody ever would, it would be a pity if it got adopted by somebody else!" Two weeks ago, Sakura saw Shizune loitering outside a pet's adoption shop, playing with a small but plump pig by the display window. Since her uncle's decease, it was the first time she ever saw light entered her lifeless pupils.

Two weeks later, after much consideration, she did what she felt was the most appropriate – she adopted it in the name of Shizune.

"This is the best damn present I have ever received in my entire life, Sakura-chan. Thank you." She saw tears of euphoria welling up by the corner of her eyes, brows that were no longer frowning, and most importantly, love scintillating in her eyes at the adorable pig. She had not abandoned her ability to love.

"You have to name her!" Her smile was infectious; Sakura could not control herself from making a fool of herself and breaking into a jolly dance.

"Don't worry about that, Sakura-chan. I've already done that long ago, long long ago."

* * *

"Alright, I shall talk to Lady Tsunade about it, Sakura-chan. It must be something important for you to take a week's leave." It was the least Shizune felt she could do; that was her way of returning her favour.

"I am so sorry to trouble you again, Shizune-san. I still can't find the courage to face her yet…" Sakura trailed off, immersed in thought.

"Don't worry about it. Speaking of which, Lady Tsunade wanted to pass this to you." In her outstretched hands were two pairs of rimmed spectacles, in lavender and cobalt.

"These are for that boy who you brought in two weeks ago? Both are custom-made to suit his eye conditions and were made with titanium for extra sturdiness," Shizune explained.

"I understand. But, why are there two pairs…?" Sakura was nonplussed since normally, people were prescribed with a pair. She also wondered if Lady Tsunade selected purple based on Itachi's clothing colour preference.

"We took considerations of his… Lifestyle, and judging from the severity of his wounds, one pair might not last for over a year, regardless of its durability." Shizune elaborated on meekly.

"Ahhh… How thoughtful of you and Lady Tsunade, let me thank you on his behalf, ne?" With a final wave, she left the hospital, feeling that it was possibly the best place to hang out in, despite the irony.

* * *

After casting a weak genjutsu over the security guards to conceal his presence, he entered the Haruna residence. He was doing it to minimise any inconvenience for Sakura; it might raise unnecessary concerns should she be seen with a male companion all the time.

He stopped short when he realised he had made his way to the central courtyard on instinct. He thought he should give the lift a go, blending in with the times and all.

Itachi hit the up button and waited. The panels slide aside to reveal an enclosed space with cerulean interior and sparse lighting. On the inner walls of the space laid two rows of numeric, and he promptly hit the '10' button as the door closed.

"Hey, wait up!" There came a hand pressing against the closing panel, before sliding back to reveal a blonde wearing only a purple cropped top and matching mini skirt, despite the coolness of the weather. She appeared to be around Sakura's age.

"Sorry."

"Didn't you seeing me approaching- I-I mean, thank you so much!" The girl's penalising tone spontaneously morphed into a flirtatious voice, threaded with uncensored adoration over the unknowing Itachi.

"Which floor?"

"It's the eighth, thanks…?" Itachi politely responded with a nod, not falling for the bait.

_Damn, he's being elusive, not wanting to tell me his name! If that's the case…_

"I heaven seen you around, are you new?" Yamanaka Ino initiated, in an attempt to have him divulge some information.

"Hmm."

"This place is so quiet that it hurts my ears! What do you think?" Ino went on good-naturedly.

"I prefer a quiet environment."

"…" _Ding-dong._

"It's your floor," Itachi spoke while looking expectantly at the corridor.

The lift door went shut with a resounding thump. Ino was always the one patronising the guys, never on the receiving end of such outright cold treatment. To top it off, she was bluntly rejected by an attractive and pretty tall guy, with a head of silky hair that put hers that required hours of conditioning and tainting to shame. His seemed like it was born that way.

"Damn, who knew guys with long hair could be so freaking sexy?"

* * *

Upon reaching her front door, she was alarmed to spot a pair of sandals lying next to her tattered red slippers, before shaking her head in disbelief at her failing memory. _I'm no longer the only resident in the apartment._ The notion of a company perked her up.

"I'm home! Sorry for the wait, Itachi-san. You must be famished!"

"You're back, let's eat then." Itachi had already transferred the packet dinner onto her housewares, accompanied by two cups of appetising tomato juices. He was starting to feel more like an attentive butler as opposed to a guest.

"Itachi-san… You are killing me with your thoughtfulness… Oh before I forgot…" She snapped out of her trance and fished inside her bag for Itachi's glasses.

"Purple or blue, pick one!" Sakura was betting her fortune on the former. She wanted to see if he was really obsessed over purple as he appeared to be, just for her amusement, even though both were technically his.

"Is that really necessary?" Itachi supplied with hints of scepticism. _Those reminded me of Orchimaru's right-hand man…_

"Come on, do you want your failing eyesight to take a turn for the worse?" Sakura steered on, unable to resist the whiff of the curry any longer.

Itachi once again grudgingly accepted another one of Sakura's gifts, and was taken aback by its feathery weight. He gingerly put it on, unaccustomed to the additional weight resting on the bridge of his defined nose.

"I'm surprised that you picked the blue one… Boy, don't they look fabulous on you!" Sakura knew by hunch that it would flatter Itachi, but it totally lifted him to a different calibre. He was _gorgeous_. The thick rim only served to draw attention to his feline eyes and complemented with his seductive charcoal orbs. It also captured the reserved side of him with a touch of a modern edge.

Itachi made no response to her torrent of praises, clearly unconvinced by how such a nerdy accessory could appear remotely _flattering _on anyone. However, one thing was certain.

He was never taking them off again.

* * *

Night time was coming to an end, but due to Itachi's lifestyle back at his era, he had more or less become a night owl, and sleep was definitely the last thing on his mind. After plucking up the courage to test out the button-controlled shower head, he was relieved to find that it was extremely user-friendly, with Kranji texts and all. It even fired off lukewarm water, which was akin to a good massage at a pricey massage parlour. Slipping back on his lavender attire (his new clothes were still in the laundry), he walked out to find a sleeping Sakura, also freshly showered, sitting on the black sofa.

"Sakura, wake up," Itachi gently nudged her right arm, but she was out like a light. Back home, he would not think twice to wake Kisame up, with their status as fugitives and the series of demanding missions, regardless of their burning fatigue. Here, he was just a normal guy, having a sojourn (albeit an unplanned one) at a girl's apartment. There was no longer a need for urgency and a constant sense of alertness of his surroundings.

His eyes roved over her relaxed body, completely vulnerable and at ease. When was the last instance he had witnessed such a carefree attitude? He vaguely recalled Sasuke when he was young, with his petite built and a bed of dishevelled raven hair sleeping on his bed back at home. He had a nightmare, and in an attempt to pacify his howling wails, offered to share his bed. He was immediately out cold when he lay on Itachi's bed. That fragment of memory brought a smile to his usually impassive face.

However, the short-lived smile was immediately replaced by another thought. When was the last time he had led his guard down like this, since that bloody night, where he could only sleep within the murky bases of the Akatsuki?

Itachi carefully picked up Sakura, and made his way to her bedroom. Summoning up all his ninja's worth of concentration, he was able to evade eye contact with her distracting posters of _Kanae_ Itachi. He daintily laid her down on the bed, and pulled over the soft blanket to prevent her from catching a cold.

He went over to the window, and drew the curtains shut to cut off the biting wind from paying them an unexpected visit, before slipping soundlessly into the make-shift cocoon beside her bed.

There he laid conscious the whole night, accompanied by the soft and soothing sound of her even breathing.


	4. Kizuna High School

**Chapter3 Recall:**

Sakura had a chat with Itachi which led to the shocking discovery of where he came from, and somehow led to an impromptu shopping trip; a glimpse into Itachi's past, introduction of Lee and Shizune and a gift for Itachi.

* * *

**Chapter4 – Kizuna High School**

_**Monday morning**_

Sakura opened her eyes to the faint scent of woods and green tea, feeling slightly disoriented. She rolled over to the bedside table and saw that it was not only six in the morning, but it was also time for school. Causally stretching her body like a cat after a siesta, she came into a sitting position, only to find Itachi bundled in her thinly layered sleeping bag. She felt befuddled by the situation; knowing herself, she would never allow her guest, much less a carbon copy of her beloved idol, to sleep in discomfort over at her apartment.

"What happened last night…?" Sakura wondered groggily out loud.

"You're up early," came Itachi's smooth voice from the floor, causing her to snap out of her hazy state. She thought that she was used to his presence by now; apparently waking up to a sleeping hunk beside her (bed) took more time than expected.

"Itachi-san? _You're_ up early," Sakura replied by hurling back his words to him, mildly surprised that he was awoke. Judging from the clarity of his words, he was conscious for quite some time.

"This is the longest I have rested since… Months." Between travelling to various lands to capture the Jinchuuri and running petty missions for Pein, sleep was a luxury that Itachi could not afford. It was not something that Sakura could easily relate to, seeing how bewilderment and perplexity were written all over her face. _She is so easy to read, that I am starting to be worried for her_, Itachi thought.

On the other hand, Sakura felt sympathy stirring in her stomach; she realised that the title of a ninja was not something to be taken lightly; the perks of their distinct abilities came with a hidden price tag of sacrificed sleeps and battered souls. When you gained something, you lost something; that is the balance of the universe, regardless of which world.

"Then you should sleep more, since you finally have no more missions," Sakura was overcome with bless for not being born in the era of ninja. She belonged to the group of people who held the strong belief that sleep was not overrated; it was the essence to sustain a healthy body and mind, therefore increasing productivity in one's daily goings.

Sakura kicked off her blanket and she proceeded with her morning routine. Once again, she was greeted with breakfast on standby – an empty porcelain bowl accompanied by a jumbo packet of cereals and an unfilled glass. Her eyes lingered on the set-up with an appreciative grin for a few seconds, not even realising that she had cereals in her food stash. She briefly worried if she was collecting a pile of expired goods at the back of her cardboard, and made a mental note to do a kitchen spring cleaning soon.

"I wonder if he's married back in his world," Sakura pondered, seeing how considerate and comfortable he was in the kitchen, as she chewed on to the delicate sweetness of cranberries and crunchy almond interspersed with the cereals. She considered him to be slightly older than herself, but she was uncertain. He had pretty facial features and a healthy complexion that were a stark contrast to the creases under his eyes and a masked intellectuality (based on his manner of speech), both associated with the wise and old. Sakura thought he came across to her as an old man who was stuffed into a youthful vessel, eyes screaming torment at having witnessed too much.

Shortly after her unsuccessful train of thoughts, she was joined by the person in question, who soundlessly sat opposite her for his share of breakfast. She did not even catch him moving passed her!

"You like cereals?" Sakura initiated.

"I am alright with it; they reminded me of home." Itachi offered offhandedly. Sakura flipped her eyes towards him, but his expression was carefully guarded and unreadable. She was not a nosy person by nature, but that caught her attention.

"You must miss them, your family I mean," Sakura delivered, in an exceedingly soft tone, knowing that she was threading on a sensitive and foreign topic.

"I do." Itachi admitted with a forced smile, accompanied by a subtle lugubrious expression etched deep in the eyes that were staring intently at her. She could not begin to speculate the sort of life he was living back in his world.

* * *

"Itachi-san, why were you sleeping in my sleeping bag yesterday?" Sakura asked casually while tying her shoe laces on the steps in front of the entrance.

"You fell asleep on the sofa last night so I carried you to your bed," he explained like it was the most obvious course of action. Sakura's ears perked up upon hearing the word 'carry', causing her to tangle her hands with the shoelace.

"O-oh, is that it? I must be totally beat! Sorry to trouble you, Itachi-san." Despite her rousing embarrassment, the words smoothly rolled off her tongue, and he responded with a 'don't bother about it' nod.

"I'm going to school now, so please stay at home until I return, alright? I do not want you getting lost and not contactable."

"When will you be back?"

"Probably before two, so I will be buying our lunch along the way, so do not under any circumstances, leave this house, okay?" Sakura stressed, as though making a point to a disobedient child, despite their reversed seniority.

"If there's anything-"

"Sakura-san." Itachi gently interrupted.

"Yes?"

"I'm twenty-one, not a kid. I am fully capable of taking care of myself." This was Itachi's polite way of saying, "You are not my mother, and I am obviously older than you, so you can leave now."

"O-oh, okay, I'm leaving then, Itachi-san!" Sakura swung a final energetic wave towards him before entering the lift.

Itachi shut the door with a resounding click, feeling weird. He was always the one leaving home for missions, slipping on his standard ninja sandals before declaring "I'm leaving" to either his Mother or Sasuke. It had been a while since he waved someone off, and it certainly had been a long while since someone expressed genuine concern to his whereabouts, besides that Pein (in the ass) and ninjas going after the bounty on his head, of course.

It felt surprisingly pleasant.

* * *

Of all the buses that would take her to Kizuna High School and of all the vehicular circulations designated for buses, it had to be the one that travelled to The Academy _and_ the central business districts. To add misery to despair, she was also the only one from her circle of friends to take Bus 184, so besides bearing the inevitable invasion of privacy and being corralled into standing like a stick (as though she wasn't flat chested enough), she had to experience all these _alone_.

"Oh no, I left my phone by the power socket!" Sakura mentally cursed herself for behaving like a klutz – first it was falling asleep spontaneously like a pig and having her guest feeling obliged to carry her hefty body onto _his _designated bed, then there was her phone and there was the teeming bus steering into her bus stop. _Well, it's not like I can use them on the bus, _she thought with boiling acrimony.

She could barely breathe against the wafts of excessive perfumes and body odour, much less fit among the sea of suit, ties, bandage skirts and no-nonsense stilettos. She recited her usual mantra, "I'm saving the Earth with this little sacrifice, I really am," but it little to assuage her plight or curb her rising concern at the persistent grinding sensation along her right profile. She dared a glance up and realised it was coming from a mid-twenties' wondering hand. _What a jerk._

There came a timely jerk of the bus to a stop, causing her to succumb to the undeniable force of inertia, and entering a half-embrace of a pair of pale, strong arms to her left.

"You okay?" At the vibrating sensation reverberating through her body, she stiffened and launched herself off the secure grip of the cutest red-head she had come across since Sasori-senpai. The furthest she could get was as far as a flinch of her arms; the mysterious guy instinctively drew her closer towards the edge of the standing platform, and into the depths of his protective grasp and palpable warmth.

"Y-yes? Why are you…?" Sakura trailed off, her intonation clearing translating her rousing quandary. She tilted her head back and was instantly lured by his husky voice and distinctive features. He had framed his turquoise eyes with thick rings of black liner that brought upon an ethereal and enticing quality about him.

"I've noticed that guy's inappropriate behaviour next to you," he explained with apparent distaste to the uncivilised conduct, which immediately shredded light into his unanticipated actions. She dared a peek at the insolent bastard, who shied away upon making eye contact with the redhead's malicious death stare. _What a craven_. She lightly patted his firm grip around her arms in gratitude.

"Thank you." His selfless act of chivalry tugged at her soft spot for Gentlemen, igniting a sense of long forged bond, unburied after decades of lost memories.

"You need to be more careful." Her trance was broken by the bobbing of his Adam's apple, and she quickly stifled the urge to brush her fingers against the protrusion. Her eyes skipped passed his exposed collarbone, lingering for a second too long, before noticing her school's standard navy blue school tie and emblem sewed on his breast pocket.

"You're from Kizuna High?" She did not recall seeing such a cutie roaming the school ground, much less one with thrice the eyeliner as she had around the eyes.

"Y-yes, I just came to Konoha not long ago," his voice quivered for a second, taken aback by the sudden limelight on him. _How cute_. It was unusual for a new student to turn up at the perk of term two and she was brimming with questions. However, to avoid tramping over the unwritten line between concerned and prying, she forcefully quelled her snooping mind.

"Ahh, is this your first day? I could bring you around if you don't mind," she offered, the unexpected amount of courage coming from nowhere. His turquoise orbs twinkled with relief and appreciation at the unspoken request, the invisible barrier between two strangers gradually breaking down to reveal the start of a friendship.

"Oh! I'm Haruno Sakura," mildly embarrassed by the late introduction. He meekly nodded.

"Gaara."

* * *

"Sakura! Who's that hot stuff who you just escorted into our class?" Ino hissed before she had a chance to catch a breather. It was probably the most intense trip she had taken from the school bus stop to her classroom on the third floor. The ineluctable glances and hushed whispers did not sit well with her tendency for obscurity and innate need for discretion, despite the irony of her gaudy hair colour. Gaara remained moderately composed throughout their journey, carrying a quiet air of confidence with him. Sakura was jealous.

"Can you don't be so loud? He's just seated next to me!" She sibilated with enough volume to be only heard by her cronies.

"A-are you okay, Sakura-chan? You look flustered," Hyuuga Hinata, who was seated behind Gaara, inquired with concern.

"Where have you been all this while? I felt that it was easier to get Shino to crack a smile than to have you reply at least one of my messages or phone calls!" At the mention of his name, Aburame Shino's head spun towards their direction with an inquisitive brow raised. Ino patronised him with a simper, before edging forward towards Sakura.

"Never mind that. Quick spill!" Sakura sighed at her best girl's unfaltering curiosity.

"He sort of saved me on the bus-"

"He _what_? What on Earth could go wrong on a _bus_ that requires first-aid?" If Sakura was not on the receiving end of her bombardment, she would have escalated into a cackle at Ino's comical facial expression.

"There was no first-aid, Ino... He just shielded me from a roving hand," Sakura went on shyly. Ino's eyes nearly jumped out of her socket, presumably to be equally impressed by the gallant act. Their question and answer session reached an anti-climax by the arrival of their homeroom teacher, Sarutobi Asuma.

"Good morning, the future of Konoha. How about submitting last Friday's essay before your dog eats them up?" Asuma joked affably.

"Hey sensei! Akamaru really did eat my last week's essay! Why won't you believe me?" Inuzuka Kiba pleaded with dog eyes.

"This is so troublesome…" This was the default reaction from Nara Shikamaru, as he submitted his ten page worth of wisdom, one of his rare show cases of dedication to homework, or anything at all. Asuma nodded appreciatively and gave Shikamaru an encouraging tap on his shoulder.

"Asuma-sensei, your homework is so dry!" Ino lamented, following in line after Shikamaru. The class murmured their agreement. However, the lack of enthusiasm only served to elicit a hearty guffaw from him, which explained his position as a homeroom teacher. He was probably the only person who could supervise a whiny class of teenagers without taking anything to heart, while retaining an everlasting passion to his job and an unwavering compassion for his students. As he did a quick swipe across the class, his eyes landed on Gaara, and nodded subtly at him.

"Class, for the start of this new week, we have a new student who came from the state of the Sand. Let us welcome him; fresh face, come on forward!" Asuma beckoned him with an encouraging wave of his tanned arm.

"Hello everyone, I am Gaara, please to meet you all." Gaara proceeded to give a solemn bow, his facial expressions looking anything but pleased. Sakura secretly wondered if he was suffering from first day jitters. Asuma nodded in satisfaction and welcomed him with a solid slap on his back.

On the way back to his seat, Sakura swore she could detect a slight flush on his otherwise composed face. The sudden arrival of a guy, especially one with his noteworthy features (namely, his extreme use of eyeliner) and unconventional charisma sparked a heated discussion among the charming ladies of Konoha. The guys were less shaken by his appearance – while some were observing him with varying degrees of intrigued expressions, most had already lost interest and were caught up in their own state of affairs.

Asuma noticed that despite the commotion over his weekend work and the enigmatic new kid, it was still a tad too quiet for Class 3A-01. He briefly did a head count, before his mental calculations were interrupted by a series of hurried footsteps along the corridor.

The class door slide open with a thunderous thump, and Uzumaki Naruto came pouring into the class, drenched in sweat and looking sheepish, panting slightly. Sakura did a mental slap, already predicting that he was going to come up with something lame, like being chased by an animal…

"Sorry Asuma-sensei I'm late! I was walking to school when a dog started chasing me… And I have to run for twenty minutes before it lost track of me!" Naruto declared loudly while scratching absently at his head. The class erupted into a choir of laughter, while Asuma gave an inward sigh and waved him to his seat, with no qualms that his story was no make-believe. This was Naruto we were talking about, after all.

"So why would a dog start chasing you all of a sudden?" Asuma was uncertain that he wanted to hear his answer.

"Well... I was kind of making funny faces at it because it looked so lonely sitting by the electric pole... Sensei, you lied! Kindness does not beget kindness!" Naruto huffed in displeasure.

"I wouldn't exactly call that an act of kindness, Naruto…" Asuma replied, while struggling to maintain a straight face.

"You disturbed the dog. You should have seen that coming, loser," Kanae Sasuke quipped from the front seats. Naruto shot an evil eye at the unwelcomed commentator, and they were instantly locked in a death stare of the decade.

Sakura was shaking her head in disbelief at the uproar caused by Naruto's rowdiness, and grinned apologetically at Gaara.

"That's Uzumaki Naruto for you, always in for mayhem, anytime of the day." Gaara shook his head to counter-argue her statement.

"Even though it may feel annoying, but I do not mind… The liveliness of the class, it's nice." Needless to say, Sakura was surprised by the unforeseen response. Behind them, Ino and Hinata were equally involved in their conversation, casting their reactions to another in the form of mouthed oohs and ahhs.

This was a start of a perfectly normal morning in Kizuna High Class 3A-01, with nothing short of trouble and craziness.

* * *

_The Uchiha clan must be seriously mad at me, sending me here as a form of joke._

Given his usually hectic schedule, Itachi was not one to take rest days for granted. However, he had never felt so u_noccupied_, a concept that was entirely foreign to him. On his days off after a series of tedious missions, he would either look for Uchiha Shisui, his close confidante and dear cousin to hang out, or use the ample free time to polish up his already impenetrable defence of attacks. Occasionally, he would offer to train with Sasuke after his countless pleadings, and he would never fail to be amused at the way he would light up like a bulb. He was especially weak against his puppy eyes – just imagining it on the now matured Sasuke put a smile to his face.

_I pray that the elders of Konoha will go easy on him._

As he was gazing lovingly at the lush extravagance of green stretching on infinitely against the celestial backdrop, which also occupied the entire land behind Sakura's apartment, he recalled the day he sensed Naruto's chakra in the forest, and was hit with an immerse sense of relief at his decision to leave Shisui's eye with him. It was probably one of the only things he felt he did right in his entire existence.

After a series of failed attempt at boondoggling, he decided to retreat into a mindless state of emptiness; he sat on the cool timber ground in Sakura's room, located the North direction, and mediated.

* * *

"I wonder what he's doing at home…"

"Did you say something, Sakura?" Ino asked.

"W-what? No! Man, I'm so hungry… I'm going to grab some lunch home!" Sakura quickly added on to distract Ino.

"D-do you want us to come with you, Sakura-chan?" Hinata, the ever kind soul, offered shyly.

"Hinata, that's a great suggestion! Didn't you say Naruto just painted your living room? I've wanting to see it for so long and there's also this guy-"

"NO! Gah- I mean, i-it's alright guys I wanted to go home, have lunch and read up on my medical studies… I've got an entrance test coming up soon you see," Sakura fired off in one shot. Technically, she was not lying; she did enrol for Konoha Hospital's annual entrance level examination to be qualified as the hospital's official staff. With her current status as a part-time assistant, she was excluded from many complicated operations and administrations beyond the realm of basic first aid. However, should she pass her exam, she would be promoted to a Nurse, where she would be attached to a specific department every year to learn the ropes and be better prepared for her next goal.

You see, her goals did not stop at being a Missy; for her dream to be enlisted as an official Doctor, she would need to pass her school's affiliated University's Medical course to achieve a doctoral degree, before she was qualified to take the hospital's higher entrance level examinations and fulfil her dream.

For this goal, she had been cramming up medical books and slogging herself away in either the school's library or her room. It was not just for her entrance test, but in order to hit the top five percentile of her high school to attain a scholarship, since she did not have the means to enrol in the University.

Smiling contritely at her crestfallen friends, she bid them farewell and headed out of the school gates. They followed the movement of her retreating back, noting the spring in her usually laden steps, and felt sadly relieved for her.

"Our dear Sakura… By burying herself among the mountain of books, she was able to suppress the painful memories of her parent's death," Ino muttered to a nodding Hinata.

"A-as long as she has a goal, she won't lose hope for life, and we can help her," Hinata replied with a growing smile, overwhelmed with ease that her other dearest buddy was coming out of her shelf of bereavement.

_He _had to pick this untimely moment to ruin the ladies' peaceful mood.

"Hey hey! Sorry for the wait! I had to stay back to clean up the class as a punishment by Asuma-sensei… Hey, where's Sakura-chan? She said she wanted to treat me to ramen!" Naruto exclaimed, oblivious to the ticking nerve of Ino.

"Naruto… Sasuke-kun is right; you _are_ annoying. Let's go grab some sushi, Hinata!" Ino dragged an apologetic Hinata away, leaving a clueless Naruto chasing in their wake.

* * *

"Two takeaways for miso ramen, Tenuichi-san!" Flashing Sakura a thumbs-up, Konoha's ramen master began to work his magic. For some peculiar reason, she felt a rising compunction for abandoning Itachi alone in her apartment. She was certain that her library of medical textbooks and cook books fell short on the entertainment department, especially so for a full-time ninja like him.

_Thank goodness I managed to get away. Should they discover that I have another guy staying in my apartment… _

"There you go, Sakura-chan! The second one's on the house! It's your birthday month special," Tenuichi announced, and she was shocked that the ramen chef remembered his one of a million's customer's birthday; she was not even a regular!

"Buying for Naruto?"

"Er, no, it's for... My house butler." Sakura was not exactly lying, as she felt the word 'friend' did not feel right coming out of her mouth. Tenuichi appeared visibly startled by the information, and Sakura left before he could dig around further. Again, she felt guilt-ridden to label him in such a manner. _It was akin to calling Kanae Itachi my domestic servant! _As she brisk past the row of delicacies stores, she made up her mind to make up to him, praying that he had a soft spot to sweet things.

* * *

He sensed her presence the moment she stepped out of the lift.

"I'm home! Itachi-san, are you there?" Itachi was meditating in Sakura's room, and it bothered him that Sakura sounded like she was addressing her domestic cat.

Sakura drew in a sharp breath when Itachi stepped into the living room; he was wearing a modest grey berms coupled with the plain black shirt that they bought yesterday. Despite its loose fit, it brought a healthy contrast to his pale complexion. There was also the causal swing of his ponytail, which made her touched her short hair self-consciously. His carelessness and brooding expression only served to heighten his seductive aura. He was a beauty of his own class.

"You're so pretty that my eyes hurt," Sakura uttered, starry-eye.

"I'm sorry?"

Sakura could not believe herself; she had mistaken him as her beloved idol again, despite the lucid knowledge that he was on a world tour and had no business in her house.

"Y-you must be famished; as promised here's the long-awaited lunch, Itachi-san!" Itachi nodded and wordlessly took over the bags from her while Sakura went to refresh herself. She was looking forward to spending some time with Itachi, since she barely knew anything about him after all. She was also dying to know what he did to pass time.

"So… What did you do while I was away?" Sakura dived in before he even had a first sip of his miso soup.

"Nothing much. How was school, Sakura-san?" Even though it felt like an obligatory question on his part, she was certain that she detected a hint of genuine solicitous underneath his impassive façade.

"It was chaotic – one of my classmates, his name's Naruto, claimed that he was late because he got chased by a dog on the way to school! I think I felt ten times more embarrassed than he did…"

"Naruto huh."

"Yes, Naruto. As in that kamaboko (fish cake) in between your chopsticks now, such a cute name eh?" Sakura explained, mistaking his interest of Naruto for his unique name. Itachi recalled the time when he had a run in with Naruto and Kakashi. He was so impulsive and brimming with hatred, no doubt for the physical (and emotional) scar that he left on Sasuke, his eyes screaming revenge and loyalty towards his dear comrade as he dashed towards him. With this recklessness, he had no trouble imagining him provoking the most innocuous dog on the street. That was Naruto. Itachi's eye shone with fondness and mirthfulness at the inherited trait from his past.

Sakura was silently observing Itachi as she sipped her ramen soup, uncertain whether he was looking pleased with the Ichiraku ramen or with her short and silly recount of the day. Regardless of which, he appeared to be enjoying her company, which pleased her greatly.

Just then, she recalled the bag of treats in her school sling bag, and hastily retrieved it out. With a hand extended in front of an unknowing Itachi, he calmly reached inside the paper bag and felt three wooden sticks, before pulling them out. Sakura watched as he looked fixedly at the colourful sticks of dango, puzzled by his balk at eating it.

"Is anything the matter, Itachi-san? Do you dislike sweet things?" Sakura quizzed him worriedly. Itachi snapped out of his reverie and shook his head, quickly composing his facial expression.

"I don't dislike them, thank you, Sakura-san." She continued watching as he swallowed two of the dangos, noting the glim in his charcoal orbs. As though sensing her eyes, he looked up and locked his gaze with her, and _smiled_. It was unlike any of those obligatory or accommodating smiles he used before, but a bona fide grin. Sakura thought she would faint there and then. Who knew that it only took a stick of dango to cheer a gloomy person up?

"It still tastes the same…" It was barely perceptible, but she caught his last few words.

"Really? How does it taste like?" Itachi closed his eyes, carried away by the feeling of nostalgia and felicity that hit him with every delicate chew of the soft luscious dangos.

"It tastes like home."

* * *

After the satisfying lunch and clearing up of the dining table, Sakura retreated into her room for her entrance examination revisions. It was not just to honour her words to her friends; she _did _have a ton left to cover.

Itachi settled on the floor by the bed leg, slightly restless after the big bowl of ramen and unexpected taste of his childhood snack, feeling too free. He wanted to ask Sakura about the forest behind the apartment, but she seemed absorbed in her thick hardcover, flipping the pages slowly and pausing at each page for long stretches of moments.

Sakura was flipping the pages not because she had finished reading the contents; on the contrary, nothing was going into her head. How could anything register in the company of her idol's splitting image, who was also watching her back, literally, as she pretended to study?

She decided that was enough.

"Ne, Itachi-san, I suppose you like to read books? I am heading over to the library now, you want to come?" She figured that it was better to engage him elsewhere, anywhere but her back. To her immerse relief, he agreed.

* * *

_**Tuesday morning**_

_Hmmm… What time is it now…_

"It's seven in the morning." Sakura opened her eyes to a statuesque body lying on her bed, with one arm supporting his head, who was observing her with mild interest. For one horrifying moment she pictured that she was drugged and kidnapped by an extremely hot pathological killer. That irrational and somewhat flattering thought was scrapped the instant she became in tuned to the reality.

"It's what? SEVEN?! Oh dear I'm late for school!" Scrambling out of her sleeping bag and nearly slipping on it, she scurried around and fast-forwarded her morning routine, and in between, sparing a few seconds to admire the sumptuous breakfast spread "assembled" by her bedside companion.

_I could really get used to this._

"I'm leaving; help me look after the house ne, Itachi-san!" Sakura burst out while struggling to pull up her knee-high socks quickly without over-stretching it. Itachi was just sauntering out of her room as she yelled a victory cry at her successful attempt.

"Sakura-san-"

"Don't worry I'll buy back lunch for us okay? See you!" Itachi sighed inwardly at not being given a chance to clarify his thoughts. He could make out rapid spamming of the lift button, followed by a distant protest along the lines of "Why's this happening to me?" Smiling ruefully, he felt that he could relate to that statement.

"Why's this happening to me, indeed?"

* * *

Itachi did a quick swipe along the corridor of Sakura's apartment, before focusing his chakra to perform a Body Flicker Technique to swiftly transport him to The Konoha Institution of Books, favourably known as K.I.B. It had been some time since he trained or even summoned his chakra for Ninjutsu, and his body was not responding well to his unused body. Even though it was only a twenty minutes walking distance between her house and the library, Itachi was feeling a slight languor and higher chakra exhaustion from the lack of training. Against Sakura's advice to refrain from using his "otherworldly qualities in the public," he figured it was more desirable for him to travel with haste (strictly speaking, it was still by foot) since he had his doubts about travelling in those long vehicles, or "buses", which stopped every five minutes or less. Itachi himself was a very patient man, but at the rate that it was going (or stopping), not to mention the _horde of sweating bodies_ plastered against one another...

Adjusting his slightly crooked spectacles, still unaccustomed to this additional accessory, Itachi arrived at the back of K.I.B. The three storey high of raw concrete and glass, besides the extremely high ceilings, was chamfered at the left corner of the building, and the entire sloping surface was fixed with tempered glass that optimised natural lighting. That was the first thing that caught his discerning eyes when he accompanied Sakura here the other day, along with the faint array of carvings of the Konoha symbol along the façade of the library.

Hopping from the Golden Trumpet Tree onto one of outdoor balcony on the second storey, he passed by the sliding glass door and entered the library. He was instantly rejuvenated by the air-conditioned building, "one of the perks of modern era," according to Sakura, among the endless list he would encounter in due time. That piqued some of his interest for this alien world.

He made purposeful strides towards the only section that interested him in the entire building – Section 230- History. He was tempted to activate his Sharingan to facilitate his research, but unfortunately, he was not the only occupant of the section. There were a few students lounging on the arm sofas by the large window, immersed in their literature, an assiduous librarian shelving returned books and a wondering toddler who appeared to be in distress, presumably separated from his parents. He could also make out a couple's muffled giggles drifting from a few shelves ahead, at the Geography section. The irony of the situation - they apparently had the geography of their location terribly mixed up with their bedroom.

Itachi sailed past the irrelevant shelves and stopped short in front of a wooden placard with the word 'Konoha' carved across it. _Is this _it?

He dragged his hands over the rows of crinkled and yellowed covers, gripped by hesitation. Suddenly, Itachi was uncertain about proceeding. _What if I… _Shaking off the irrational aversion, he slipped out a navy blue paperback titled "The Hidden Village of Konoha" and began perusing through the Kranji texts written in calligraphy. It talked about Konoha's economic and military stand within The Five Great Shinobi Nations, a brief coverage of the Hokages and their influence on Konoha's growth and a quick report on the First to Third Shinobi World Wars and their devastating effects on the village. It basically mapped out the major events of olden Konoha in chronological order, and the entry stopped at Tsunade's election as the Fifth Hokage. There were no records of the Uchiha massacre.

Towards the end of the paperback, was an entry titled 'Noble clans of Konoha,' and sure enough, next to the Senju clan symbol the red and white fan symbol was gazing proudly at him. Skimming the footnote, his eyes caught some interesting information.

… _They help found the Konoha Military Police Corps, establishing a stable and secure land for living. However, the entire clan, along with a grave number of elite shinobis of Konoha, was wiped out during an invasion of an 'ally' country. For their sacrifice, the Hidden Village of Konoha was able to strive on in prosperity, and they were thus deeply revered and forever remembered as the 'Great saviour of Konoha.'_

He did not remember his clan fighting off any 'ally' country, nor was it mentioned in the Uchiha archives. Rather, he thought that his clan was the 'ally' and he was the one who did the 'wiping out.' He flipped through several more books dated back to his era, only to encounter more facsimiles of what he just read.

_Should I be bowing in gratitude that the elders were bothered enough by the truth, to the extent of altering the history?_ At that thought, he could no longer subdue the doleful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"History… They don't always speak of truth, don't you think?" Itachi cocked his head to his left, where a girl, seemingly around his age asked him, since they were the only people lingering at this aisle. Normally, he would pay no mind to such passing comment, but her tone hinted at an underlying seriousness.

"What makes you say so?" He enquired with an indifferent tone.

"Look at these papers… They may appear to have aged with time, but the truth is, they were ersatz, made to be believed, meant to be deceiving," The mysterious girl continued. Her refine and demure demeanour was in stark contrast to her ceil blue hair and the eye-catching rose hairband, and her black jumpsuit only served to make her porcelain skin stood out. She, Itachi observed, also held vague resemblance to Konan from the Akatsuki.

Itachi smoothed his equally pale hands over the yellowing pages, infusing the page with some of his chakra. To his astonishment, the stain marks and crinkles melted off to reveal a blemish-free, white sheet of new paper, with the calligraphies intact.

He swivelled his head back up, but the lady was nowhere in sight.

* * *

_Here he comes! Now is my chance…_

"G-good morning, Sasuke-kun!" When she saw Sasuke entered the male washroom next to their classroom, she automatically rewind her rapid steps and loitered by the corridor, waiting for the right moment to spring onto him to strike a causal conversation. Though it felt like a perverted act, Sakura was able to convince herself that she was merely "giving her best, chasing for her happiness."

"Good morning." Sasuke replied, nodding in her direction. Sakura kind of liked that, a man of few words. Men who prated on would more likely turn her off, since they were either babbling on about themselves or generally too chatty for their own good.

"I heard there's a new sensei for our Geography class; hopefully he or she would be a little less fierce than Anko-sensei…" Mitarashi Anko, who had just been promoted as Kizuna University's Geography lecturer, was a bloodthirsty and unforgiving teacher. The other time when Naruto had fallen asleep during one of her intense classes, she expressed her female brutality by having him to take over her subsequent lessons of their class for a month.

The passing rate for that month's class test had been ten to thirty.

"That would teach you maggots not to sleep in my class!" Sakura shuddered at that horrific memory.

Sasuke responded to her remark with an inarticulate grunt. "Anybody would easily be less fierce than that snake of a woman." Sakura nearly fainted; she actually managed to engage Sasuke in an actual conversation, instead of the usual one-sided exchange. She released a soft titter to express her similar sentiment.

"I know! But, why did you compare her to a snake? Wouldn't tiger be a more fitting metaphor?"

"Hn, because you'll never know when she would sneak up on you with a vicious bite in toll. At least a tiger would growl before it attacks." Sakura was unsure how to respond to that; she did a double-take to be certain she had chatted up the _right _Sasuke. While it did feel satisfying, she could not stop the nagging sensation that his exceptionally pleasant mood had got to do with more than the replacement of Anko-sensei.

"Sasuke-kun, do you mind if I ask… Did something good happen this morning? You seem to be in a good mood." Sakura prayed to the clouds that he would not misinterpret her words as an implication to him being a usually sulky person, regardless of whether if that was the case (which it was).

Since he was seated in front, they were currently holding the conversation by his table. Sasuke was just hanging his bag by the tableside when she asked, and he froze by the unexpected question. He was about to respond when they, along with the rest of the chatters of the classmates, were interrupted by the languid and unhurried steps of a tall stranger, into their class.

The class descended into a unified silence, and Sakura made her way to her seat, equally curious by the stranger's appearance. Sakura rolled her eyes over at Gaara – when she thought that Gaara was the most memorable person (in the good way), this stranger had effectively kicked him out of his position.

A bed of spiky ash grey hair, a defined set of jaw hidden beneath a mask extending from his sleeveless tight black top, and his built physique, were nothing short of remarkable. Sakura felt a desperate tap on her shoulder.

"Sakura, looks like this class is finally going to get _interesting," _Ino hissed into Sakura's ear, and Sakura turned to share a look of agreement with the duo behind her.

"Ahh, sorry I'm late; not quite a good way to make a first impression, eh?" The handsome man started, while rubbing his hair sheepishly. Apparently, the ladies of Konoha dissented.

"By any chance, are you our new sensei for Geography?" A girl enquired, while the rest of the class broke into murmurings at the possibility.

"Well, that's what it says on my timetable – 8:00- 9:00 A.M.: Geography class at Class 3A-01. My name is Hatake Kakashi, please to meet you all!" At his confirmation, the class promptly broke into a rapturous cheer, mixed with squeals of delight by the girls and grunts of approval at the buff-ness of the new teacher.

"Ho, I didn't know Geography was such a well-liked subject among the final year students!" The clueless Kakashi chipped in chirpily amidst the commotion.

"Kakashi? What are you doing here?" The heads turned towards Sasuke, who was gaping at a grinning Kakashi.

"Ah, Sasuke? Sorry, I forgot to mention to you about my substitution for Anko-san. So now, I'll be officially teaching your class."

"That's right – Kakashi is the club advisor for Taijutsu, isn't he?" Ino whispered, while Sakura nodded absentmindedly. Sakura was busy observing Sasuke's facial expression, never registering such shock from his usually cool and collected character. They were currently having some light exchanges, and Sakura gauged that they shared an amiable and close relationship with one another.

"So, it's definitely not because of this that put him in a good mood…" Sakura mumbled.

"Can't hear you, Sakura!" She responded with a frantic shake of her head, while she mentally tried to figure the missing puzzle.

* * *

Waving to the security guards, Sakura entered the Haruna Residence, armed with two servings of cha soba (Japanese cold green tea noodles) and a bag of dangos. When she reached the front steps of her apartment, she was surprised to find Itachi's sandals gone. She began to panic.

"Oh dear… Where did he go to?" She laid down her bags and pulled out her phone, before mentally slapping herself in dismay. _Right, he doesn't have a phone._

"Caw!" Sakura nearly dropped her phone at the exceedingly loud cry of the crow, which was perched on the adjacent tree branch to the corridor, partially shrouded by the dark canopy. She did not recall spotting any crows in the courtyard, or was she just inattentive?

"My goodness, is it looking at me? Is it cawing _at me_?" In acknowledgement to her string of doubts, it flew towards her and stopped to rest on the steel railings along the corridor. Sakura took an instinctive step back, before moving tentatively towards it, and was daunted by what she saw.

_The crow bore identical eyes to Itachi; is that even possible? _Sakura pondered on in bafflement. _Or is this crow… His?_

"Caw!" Her attention snapped away from its glowing red orbs to a rolled up note in its mouth. She gingerly reached for it and the instant it was pulled out, its eyes dissolved into specks of dull black, and the energetic crow flapped away, not once looking back. With her slightly trembling hands, she unrolled the note.

_Sakura_

_I am at K.I.B., and won't be back so soon. Have lunch without me._

_Itachi._

_P.S.: I wanted to inform you this morning that I took your library card, but you left in haste. It is in my possession now._

Sakura groped for her purse and true enough, her library card was missing from its usual slot.

"Well, at least this time I know where he is... But the crow and the notes… It's the technology era for goodness sake!" Grinning fondly at his second handwritten note, she quickly refolded it and tucked it into her purse.


	5. The Perks of Being a Ninja

**Chapter4 Recall:**

The introduction of a new setting – Kizuna High School, where Sakura and friends were currently studying at; more character introductions, a delectable lunch with Itachi, a visit to the library, and a ninjutsu that scared the daylights out of Sakura.

* * *

**Chapter5 – The Perks of Being a Ninja**

_**Wednesday**_

"So… I'm going to divide everyone into groups of three based on each of your strengths to complement one another, so every team is fair," Kakashi drawled, as his lidded-eye expertly scanned the class to gauge the reactions.

"Sakura-chan! Let us be in the same group! With my awesome brain we'll sure top the class!" Naruto shouted across the class, with Sakura smiling tightly and waving him back down onto his seat. Kakashi's eyes crinkled in amusement at his perkiness.

"Baka, didn't you hear Kakashi-sensei's words? _He _gets to choose, not _you_," Sasuke retorted, instigating Naruto to be back on his feet again.

"What did you say? You better not be in my group, Sasuke-teme!"

"Hn." Naruto growled before settling back down, arms crossed while maintaining a nasty scowl in Sasuke's direction.

From Kakashi's perspective, it would seem as though they were having a lover's bicker, based on their publicly loud verbal exchange. However, knowing Sasuke for a while now, he knew he was definitely straight, and downright dense, or perhaps just _unacquainted _when it came to affairs of the heart. During their Taijutsu training, he did not bat an eyelash to the onslaught of girls who came to admire and support him after school. He even once asked Kakashi if they were here to sign up for their Taijutsu club, and that was the only time Sasuke managed to land a direct hit on his chest.

"Hai, hai. First up, for the team covering the mountains and hills, we have…"

"Lastly, for the team researching on primary and secondary forests, we have Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto and Kanae Sasuke."

_Shannaro! Finally a valid excuse to get close up with Sasuke! _Sakura fist-pumped discreetly beneath her desk, eyed lovingly at Sasuke, and silently thanked the clouds.

_Naruto? You've got to be kidding me… _Sasuke sighed in resignation and silently cursed Kakashi for even thinking about putting them in the same group. His eyes briefly caught Kakashi's, and he grinned merrily, or appeared to be (with half of his face hidden by the mask and all), with eyes squirting into downturn crescents. Sasuke scowled in return.

_Hooray, I'm with Sakura-chan! But…_

"Kakashi-sensei! Why does an outstanding student like me have to be grouped with that bum?" Naruto protested as he directed an indignant finger at Sasuke's direction vehemently. Kakashi cocked his head thoughtfully.

"Hmmm, the last time I checked, Sasuke was the top student in the third year batch, while you… Uzumaki Naruto? You were the last… We have to complement your strengths and weakness yea?" Kakashi concluded sanguinely, none of his optimism reaching Naruto.

* * *

"Sakura! Isn't this a dream turned reality for you? You can finally gawp openly at Sasuke-kun, maybe even snag a kiss or two!" Ino clapped on excitedly as their class ended, where the trio were holding a discussion over their respective teams. Sakura blushed, while trying to shush Ino, thankful for the nearly emptied classroom.

"W-well, that's true… I mean of course we aren't going to k-kiss! H-hey, Hinata is grouped with Kiba and Gaara, isn't that cool?" Sakura side-tracked, swiftly shifting the conversation to the suddenly stiff Hinata.

"Umm, which part of that grouping is _cool_? Sure, Gaara-kun is kind of cute, in his emo-ish way, but he's way too reserved! Now, let's not even begin with Kiba… A word for him – 'beyond hope,'" Ino concluded, accompanied with a dramatic sigh and a consoling tap on Hinata's shoulder.

"I-Ino, that's two words… And I'm sure I'll be fine. Both Gaara-kun and Kiba-kun look like nice people…" Hinata attempted to defend her new teammates, with Ino clearly buying none of it.

"Ino, yours aren't too bad, either! You've got a genius on your team! Think about all the possibilities!" Sakura burst out, while the light in Ino's eyes visibly dimmed a few luxes.

"Oh, why are we even discussing about _my _group? Sakura, you're right – Shikamaru is a genius, in sleeping, and Chouji? The only redeeming thing about him is that should we get lost on, say, Mount Haruna, we would have no worries about starving to death…" Ino lamented. The ladies escalated into hearty cackles, as they made their way out of the classroom, on the way to the long-awaited lunch.

"Hey ladies, it's been a while since we dined at the U's cafeteria. Shall we make an exception and head over to 'celebrate' our newfound teammates?" Ino suggested, swerving her cerulean orbs between the girls for opinions. They nodded their agreement. Why not, right?

* * *

Kizuna University, situated on top of a gentle hill next to Kizuna High School, was a school of affiliation which granted access for staffs and students from its sister institution. Due to the lack of qualified teachers, there would occasionally be combined classes for general and compulsory subjects like Social Etiquettes and Physical Education, and major school events like Sports Day and Dinner and Dance would also be a joint event, advocating the school's name and its mission – "Forged bonds, Unbreakable connections." Talk about corny.

"Ino, don't think I have no idea what's beneath the blonde hair of yours… You want to see _him_, am I right?" Sakura teased and nudged playfully at an innocent-looking Ino.

"W-what are you talking about? I've long forgotten about him; how many times must I repeat that?" Though Ino might appear miffed, there was no escaping the look of affliction that has replaced the earlier glint in her eyes. Hinata ran a soothing hand over her back. Sakura immediately felt guilty for reopening her fresh wound.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, Ino. You have two people behind your back, remember that." Watching Ino being vulnerable triggered something in Sakura; she was used to be on the receiving end of her consolations, that she forgot that even a hot-blooded girl like Ino might be feigning a brave front for the sake of her friends.

"H-here we are!" The University's cafeteria, located under the Hall beside the picturesque landscape of rolling hills and carpets of green, was designed like a cottage – the food vendors were stationed behind walls of red brick with a mock pitched-roof overhang, the store name painted over the flat surface. Unlike the usual canteen with the bare essentials (metal table and benches, with minimal effort in design), they opted for timber furniture with low hedges of perennial shrubs surrounding the cafeteria, as though sheltered in the bosom of nature. Hanging from the ceiling were assorted bulbs strung on black wire in favour of florescent lights, along with hanging glass spheres of air plants.

"It's been so long since we came that I forgot they have such awesome view here!" Sakura exclaimed, nodding appreciatively at the details paid to the design.

"Yes Sakura, the _view_ here is a class of its own," Ino growled in a low voice, licking her lips, clearly on a different page with Sakura. Sakura followed her gallivanting eyes towards the row of male seniors seated on the timber benches; each one looking hotter than the previous, if that was possible. The appreciation session came to a recess at the protesting growl of Hinata's stomach, causing her to blush furiously. Oh Hinata.

"Oh, go on girls I'll help find us a _decent_ seat. Sakura, get me the usual thanks." Before Sakura could even ask Ino what 'the usual' was, she was already lost among the sea of pretty faces and tall silhouettes. Hinata motioned to the bento station and made her way to join the long queue. Sakura felt abandoned, but the short-lived notion was interrupted by her own growling stomach.

Picking the store based on the length of its queue, she skidded over to the western store (the one with the shortest queue). Although there were only three people in front of her, the queue progress was rather stagnant. Checking the counter, she realised that the vendor was engaged in a truffle with a female student.

"I said I want one bowl of mushroom soup, fish and chips with no fries and an additional baked potato!" The student repeated exasperatedly.

"I heard you girl, one bowl of minestrone soup, fish and chips with no rice and one baked potato-"

"No you only got the last order right… And since when does fish and chips comes with _rice_?!" The poor girl argued breathlessly. Observing the scene, Sakura suddenly remembered reading one of those inspiring posters which said," A shortcut may seem to save time, but does it not come with a catch?" She recalled reading that lame maxim and was preaching to Naruto about such hidden 'catch,' and here she was, failing hook, line and sinker. _No wonder nobody buys from here…_

"Women can make such a fuss over small matters, hmm?" Unintentionally overhearing the conversation in front of her, she could not help but begrudgingly agree mentally. Women _did _tend to overreact.

"Oops, I shouldn't be having this conversation with a woman, my bad, hmm." _Hold on_. The lack of response from the other party of the conversation, that annoying yet cute way of talking…

"Dei- Aww watch your hair, dude!" Before she uttered his name, he promptly rotated his body 360 degrees, resulting in his mass of blonde ponytail swinging full-force at Sakura's face.

"Sorry, and it's about time you realised it's me, Sakura-chan, hmm," Deidara quipped.

"Sounds like you haven't changed much," Sakura mumbled, but there was affection in her voice.

"Well, good to see you again too," Deidara paused to stifle his soft laughter before continuing," So what you doing here, hmm?"

"Ino suggested that we skip the high school food and come over here instead…" At the mention of Ino's name, Deidara's carefree and mirthful demeanour turned slightly gloomy, and Sakura mentally kicked herself for her brainlessness. For goodness' sake, and twice in a row!

"Hey sorry Dei-"

"How's she, I mean how's Ino, Sakura-chan?" Deidara beseeched, and Sakura stole a look over at where Ino was seated, where she was eyeing hungrily at the male seniors. The last thing she wanted was to be caught making a civil conservation to her ex.

"She's coping fine, what about you?" Sakura lied. If Ino's earlier reaction was any indication, it was that she was still hung up over their break up.

Before Sakura moved into Haruna Residence, where she was currently residing, she lived with her parents over at one of the terraces along the tranquil Bloomsbury Street. It bloomed with friendly faces and was on high demand for its proximity to cosy cafes and The Academy. Deidara, the adopted boy next door, would occasionally loiter outside Sakura's house, and whenever she came out to talk to him, he would scramble off, leaving only an oak-leaf geranium by her timber gate.

Every week, he would repeat his silent act, not once talking to her. She dared a peek into her neighbour's front yard, and spotted a mass planting of the similar-looking oak-leaf geranium, with several purple flowers missing among its full-bloom.

"Wow, did he plug Kiki baa-chan's flowers for me?" Sakura pondered out loud. She knew how protective Kiki baa-chan was over her plants. "Is he trying to tell me something?"

Curious, she brought the stalk of flower to Ino's flower shop one street down, and asked Mrs Yamanaka what the flower meant, much to the Lady Boss's delight at the kid's interest in flower language.

"Oh, oak-leaf geranium represents 'True friendship," she replied lovingly.

"Mrs Yamanaka, what does that mean?" The innocent Sakura enquired, peering up at the amused lady.

"It means, Sakura-chan, that the person wants to play with you," She explained patiently in a child's language. Bowing her thanks, she tottered off, cradling the flower tenderly in her arms.

The following week, when Deidara was leaving the house to carry out his routine, he nearly stepped on the same flower he was gripping in his small palm, laying outside his gate. Baffled, he carefully picked it up and glanced ahead to see a head of pink peeping at him behind her gate.

"It's for you!" Sakura shouted and quickly jumped behind her gate to hide her creeping blush.

That was the first time they interacted, where a single stalk of flower blossomed into an unbreakable friendship.

"You are switching the subject, Sakura-chan, and you do that when you're nervous... Well, in terms of studies? I'm having a high time, but in terms of my heart? I can't describe…" Deidara declared honestly, one hand grabbing where his heart was, body bending slightly in dramatic agony. Sakura had to give it to him – one moment he was acting all urgent and concerned lover, and in the blink of an eye he was back to his mischievous self. It was no wonder Ino was always threading between love and hate for him, recalling her 'fluctuating' love report.

"Dei, if you still love her, why not just…" Sakura proposed, but was stopped by a firm hand.

"Sakura-chan, you know better than any of us why I broke up with her, so why bother?" Deidara replied and smiled ruefully. Sakura could not understand why two people who were deep in love could not be together; what more for one-sided love? (Re: Sasuke-kun, hash-tagged extremely dense)

"Girl! What do you want?" The touchy vendor barked at Deidara, and Sakura was struggling to contain her giggle at the vendor's address. Deidara heaved a resigned sigh, rolled his eyes at the amused Sakura before turning to face the source of his annoyance.

"For the record, I'm a hundred percent _man_ and could I have a plate of chicken cutlet _please_, hmm," Deidara rattled off with displeasure. Sakura noticed that the vendor was no longer glaring holes at her customer, but had turned all dewy-eye as she was doing an appreciative scan at Deidara. Knowing him since young, it was easy for her to overlook his, _devastating effect _on girls and aunties, as in the case of the western vendor, in at least twenty meters radar.

"Oh boy, you sure look like a girl from the back! Chicken cutlet coming up, _Sir_," the old woman purred coquettishly, making Sakura gagged.

"Oh Dei, this is the only reason Ino was glad for the breakup; girls would finally stop pestering her to be their _girlfriend_," Sakura was barely able to articulate her words before escalating into a torrent of cachinnate, eliciting a scowl from Deidara.

* * *

"Took you long enough, Sakura," Ino said pointedly as she retrieved her plate of 'the usual,' which Sakura assumed to be grilled salmon, being the priciest and healthiest, from her full hands. Sakura could not exactly say that she was catching up with her childhood neighbour slash ex, at least without getting an earful and a death stare. Just this once, she lowered her head in mock repentance and remained mum, even though she was dying to shout "Would you two just patch back, damn it!"

"H-here, have some of these," Hinata offered, and peeled open a lunchbox of tasteful hors d'oeuvres.

"Wow! I didn't know they served French here!" Sakura exclaimed as she helped herself to one serving of the appetiser.

"They don't, it's from Neji nii-san. I saw him just now and he gave this to me," Hinata clarified softly, while two pink spots surfaced on her porcelain face. The ladies were visibly impressed that someone as posh as Neji could cook.

"Oh right, he's a freshman in Kizuna U, what a coincidence to collide with his lunch time!" Sakura recalled.

"It must feel nice, to have a guy pack handmade lunch for you," Ino added offhandedly, and the girls have a distant impression that she was not referring to Neji's lunch box.

"I swear, that guy looks like a shark," Ino hissed as they were biting into their hors d'oeuvres, her eyes focused on the pool of wandering males, not even realising as she bit into the cupcake paper.

"But boy, Neji's cooking sure tastes bland!" That elicited suppressed chuckles from the girls, to a clueless Ino, who continued ogling openly.

* * *

"Hey team, let us start our discussion! But first, what is our topic again?" Naruto asked. Sakura face-palmed and remained perplexed at how Naruto managed to pass his last two years of final examinations. Every Wednesday in Kizuna High, last hour period was allocated as 'Free,' allowing students to focus on subject of their preference. It was a privilege exclusive to the third year students.

"We're doing on ramen…" Sakura mumbled.

"No way! Hey! Sakura-chan don't joke about ramen! They're serious business," Naruto huffed and crossed his arms in indignation. Sakura slanted her eyes towards his, and sure enough his eyes have turned glossy, already fantasising about his miso ramen.

"Baka, only you would prize ramen as high as gold," Sasuke inserted brusquely, looking distractedly at his watch. Both Naruto and Sakura turned to eye him with incredulity.

"S-Sasuke, did you just… Talk to me normally?" Apparently, the thing next to ramen that could shut his mouth was Sasuke engaging him in a decent conversation. Sakura watched on, soaking up in Sasuke's prowess on both the female and male species. Sasuke made a swift glance on his watch again, and began packing his bag, making an abrupt exit from the classroom.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"We'll continue the discussion tomorrow!" Was Sasuke's only reply, conveniently evading the question, before he disappeared along with the sound of his shuffling feet. Sakura followed suit, hoping to catch up to Sasuke so they could leave together. She also planned on surprising Itachi with her early 'homecoming,' since she suspected that they would hardly get anywhere without Sasuke.

"Hey! Where are you going too, Sakura-chan?"

"I'm leaving; I need to go home and prepare for my med exams. I'll make up to you tomorrow!" Waving a pouting Naruto farewell, she made her way to the school gate. Since yesterday, Sasuke had been behaving aberrantly, and she wanted to catch a few words with him to find out the reason why.

Scanning the bleak parade square before the gate, Sasuke was nowhere in sight. _He couldn't have left already!_

"Oh god, that guy is _so_ cute!" Sakura spun around to see two freshmen girls pointing and sending furtive glances ahead of her, speaking in hushed but giggly tones. _Could it be…!_

She followed their eyes towards the gate and noticed a slender guy leaning against one of the white columns, his arms crossed and surveying the sky with a serene look. That guy also happened to be spotting a ponytail, a pair of glasses and clothed in loose fitting clothing. _Itachi-san!_

As though via telepathy, he angled his well-sculpted face towards her. Cocking his head to one side, he smiled. Sakura did an internal squeal, feeling gleeful at his presence. She was impressed that he could find his way to her school.

"Oh god, is he smiling _at us_? I could die now!" The love-struck girls carried on, while Sakura smiled on triumphantly. _It's me that he's smiling at, back off losers!_

It was at this moment that Sasuke brushed past her shoulders, who made a bee-line for the exit, without even a backward glance at her. She wondered what he was in a rush about. Shaking off the slightly hurtful sensation, Sakura began walking towards Itachi.

"Ita-"

"Nii-san!" Sakura stopped dead in her track. _What did he just call him?_

"Sasuke." Sasuke dove joyously into Kanae Itachi's arms to deliver an affectionate embrace. Itachi coltishly ruffled his head of spiky hair, his action and eyes speaking of adoration. Breaking apart from the hug, Sasuke spoke.

"Nii-san, welcome back." Itachi nodded, watching Sasuke as though he could not believe how lucky he was to have him as his brother.

"It's good to see you again, Sasuke." Sakura could only gape at the impossible scene unfolding before her. After they got into the suspiciously familiar convertible by the road-side and drove off, Sakura felt that her knees would buckle under the sudden weight, finally comprehending the situation.

"Figures, he wasn't waving at us after all," the deflated girls concluded as they walked past an equally deflated Sakura.

* * *

_I couldn't believe it; I just saw Kanae Itachi in front of my school…_

"Sakura-san, you back early," Itachi said as he stepped out of her room, waiting on expectantly for her explanation as she mindlessly entered the apartment.

_Sasuke-kun ignored me and did not even say good bye to me… The saying 'Bros over hos' rings true huh? And I'm not even his whore!_

"Sakura-san?" Itachi felt something was amiss; not only did she skipped her usual 'I'm home' announcements, she also neglected to shut the front door after moving through it.

_I still can't believe Kanae Itachi came to my school! Wasn't he supposed to be back next Monday?_

"Sakura." Sakura's unfocused gaze found Itachi's face in proximity to hers, eyes filled with worriment, one hand gripping her left arm in concern. The area of skin to skin contact, combined with the intensity of his eye contact, was setting her insides on fire, and she was instantly pulled back from her jumble of thoughts. She stood stiff as a rod, cheeks flushed and smiled skittishly to a frowning Itachi. His earlier call rang clearly in her mind. _D-Did he just call me without honorifics?_

"S-sorry Itachi-san, I was thinking about something else. H-Here! I've bought your favourite dango, let us tuck in!" Skipping past Itachi she proceeded to the kitchen to set up for lunch. Itachi figured something was bothering her, but decided to remain mum out of respect for her privacy.

Today's lunch was especially quiet, with both parties deep in thoughts – Sakura still bewildered by her accidental idol sighting while Itachi mulled over Konoha's altered history records. He casted a contemplative look at Sakura. Suddenly, Sakura looked up, lit up by her revelation.

"No wonder he's so happy! And I can see why…" Sakura trailed off, picturing Sasuke and Kanae Itachi's hugging moment, and mentally slapping herself for not recognising Itachi. It was the first time she had seen him off duty, dressed so causally, and up-close! Even though he looked elated to see Sasuke, there was no escaping the tired eyes that were screaming for him to cut back on his tours. _For the sake of his fans, FOR US, he was willing to go that far despite his overworked body…_

"Sakura-san, can I ask you a question?" At the serious tone, Sakura pushed her idol's image away, and focused on the other Itachi in front of her. Other than the colour of the top, Sakura observed, Uchiha Itachi was a splitting image of Kanae Itachi behind the scenes. Heck, if he were to slip off the spectacles and slip on those body flattering shirts, skin tight jeans and killer leather boots…

"Y-yes Itachi-san?" So much for pushing Kanae Itachi out of her thoughts – with his replicate living under the same roof as her _and_ sitting in front of her, it was like giving a kid a ten dollar note to buy a candy, and reminding him not to spend more than a dollar. We all know how that turned out.

"Where did you come across the story of the Uchiha massacre?" Sakura blinked confusingly at the abrupt question.

"Itachi-san, that's so random! Well, I heard about it from my History sensei. He said he came across this story from the archive of Konoha," Sakura explained, befuddled by his sudden interest.

"Do you know where is this 'archive of Konoha' located?" Itachi enquired in a low voice, the earlier hints of warmth and friendliness now replaced with austerity.

"Y-yes…? It's situated at Kizuna University's library… But it has restricted access – other than the Principal, History and Philosophy teachers, no one has ever been in that place. Not even the librarian, I heard."

"What about the History and Philosophy students?"

"Though it is unheard of, but it was said that a student once accompanied a teacher to organise the documents in that hidden room… Why are you asking these, Itachi-san? Did you find out something?" Chatting and having a regular meal like this with Itachi every day, it was easy to ignore the fact that he came from another world, and was desperately finding ways to return home. After all, he had no identity here, no family and friends, unless he counted her as one, which she doubted.

"There's something I need to check…" He replied ambiguously before continuing, "Sakura-san, is there any chance that I can enrol in the University? Itachi asked, conveniently shoving her theory of him desperately finding ways to return home back in her face. The next thing she knew he would be requesting for his own car.

"You want what? But that's…" Sakura mulled over his sudden request, still trying to adjust to the abruptness of the situation. _Itachi? Studying in a Uni? Why…?_

"Is that not possible?" Itachi enquired politely.

She began wondering, but could not come up with any reason as to why _not_. In fact, it would be beneficial for Itachi, seeing that this might developed into something beyond a staycation. Rather than being coped up in her small space every day, it would be healthier for him to engage in something intellectually stimulating and _live an actual life_. Satisfied with her justification, next came the troublesome issues – administration and money.

With her frugal lifestyle and part-time job, she was able to fulfil her stomach and afforded school fees. With Itachi's appearance in her life, she had to scrap the unnecessary indulgences (meaning no more dining out with the ladies and Naruto at those fancy cafes and shopping trips) and increase her working hours to pay for both of their meals. She was not desperate enough to resort to using his archaic notes, not yet.

If Itachi was intent on the enrolment, then the only solution was scholarship.

The problem to that was, where could she possibly find him a scholarship, which was legitimate and applicable to someone who came from the past, whose area of specialise was fighting and assassination?

Smiling tightly and summoning as much confidence as she could feign, she replied enthusiastically, "Sure, Itachi-san, why _not_?" For the first time, Sakura noticed that some of the darkness surrounding Itachi lifted, and he offered her an almost none existent smile.

"Thank you, Sakura-san." Oh, the things that she would do for those sweet words.

* * *

"Itachi-san, do you mind setting the fan to non-oscillate?" Without hearing a response, she was soon embraced by a constant flow of wind, and felt herself cooling rapidly. Sakura was not sure about Itachi, but she was sweating buckets on her desk. Her textbook on central venous catheter was filled with streaks of her highlighter and blotches of sweat, which she hoped Itachi did not see.

Sakura stretched her hand above her head like a lazy cat, while stealing a glimpse at whatever was capturing Itachi's undivided attention. Intrigued, she leaned towards Itachi.

"Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra System? Itachi-san, I didn't pin you for the type to do yoga," Sakura began with humour. Could that be the key to his slender figure?

"What's that?" Itachi asked. Sakura faltered and felt silly; like ninjas needed _yoga _to kill efficiently. Hit by an image of Itachi entangled in his limps and legs, seated on a yoga mat with a room of spinsters; it was taking all of her willpower to maintain a straight face.

"It's a type of mind and body exercise… But never mind that; what's this 'chakra' thing anyway?" Sakura recalled seeing the word on one of Ino's yoga brochures during her brief obsession with searching for her inner "om," but she doubted that they shared similar objective. Itachi looked up from the book and looked straight at her, eyes brimming with seriousness. Sakura gulped involuntarily. It was definitely not about the "om."

"Remember I told you about this 'inner energy?' It seems that the ability to manifest it have been lost along the years; I'm reading up to find out the reason why," Itachi explained as a matter-of-factly. Needless to say, Sakura blanked out. Seeing the need for elaboration, he continued on patiently.

"Everyone has two types of energy within us – the body energy inherent in our countless cells, and the spiritual energy which we gained from training and experience. I believe that due to the lack of training before adolescence, it hindered the cultivation of spiritual energy, which explains why the people here could not manipulate chakra." Sakura nodded in understanding, amazed by his explanation of the hidden potential of a human's body.

"And the modern day concept of chakra seems to have shifted to focus on inner peace cultivation…" Itachi carried on his reading in fascination. This was the first time she had seen Itachi so focused on something, and thought that it was rather cute. She realised would not mind having a nerd as her boyfriend, who wouldn't if the nerd was as hot as Itachi, and together they could geek out in the world of literary- She quickly stopped herself from thinking beyond that.

_What was I thinking? I don't like him that way, and I can't! How can I betray Sasuke-kun like this! But the way his eyebrows rose when he read something interesting, the gentle yet swift way he is flipping the pages… And is that a smile on his face?!_

Slamming her dried book shut (all the sweat stains had already evaporated), she needed to quell the ranging storm in her head, and popped the first question that came to her mind.

"Ne Itachi-san, do you swim?"

Under normal circumstances, Sakura would have never invite a guy to a half-naked recreational activity, much less someone she was acquainted with for last than a week. However, today was an exception – not just to suppress her stray thoughts about Uchiha Itachi, she could no longer stand the humidity of the sweltering weather, and desperate situation called for desperate measures!

"I do… Are you suggesting…?" Itachi prompted, equally taken aback by her random question.

"Do you want to? It's okay if you want to, I don't know, continue _reading_ that thick book of yours in this stuffy room of mine… I wouldn't want to, make you feel _obliged _or anything…" Sakura continued, and half of her was seriously worried that he would opt to stay at home instead of taking up her suggestion. Reading seemed like _his thing_. Itachi watched her uncertainly.

"You can use my Dad's trunks; they're brand new," Sakura implored, ready to kneel down if she had to. She saw his mouth twitched, but she was unsure whether it was from amusement or annoyance.

"That's not the issue here. Wouldn't public pool usually be crowded…?" If Itachi were to be honest, he definitely favoured a peaceful and undisturbed afternoon well-spent with a book as opposed to being squeezed the daylights out of him among a sea of bodies under the dreaded sun. With the weather, it would be a surprise if they could even get in the pool.

"Oh! Don't worry, we aren't going to the swimming pool, you'll see." Sakura remarked mysteriously. Seeing Sakura all motivated and smiling from ear to ear, it became even harder to reject her kind offer, and Itachi, being the gentleman, agreed. Clapping in contentment at his response, she headed over to her wardrobe to dig out a pair of modest navy blue trunks and flung it at him. He suavely caught it single-handed.

"Great! See you at the entrance in ten!"

* * *

The entrance to Yonder Forest was partially obscured by the wild creepers interloping across two pillars of trees framing the pathway. It was conveniently located next to Haruna Residence, and due to the area being a private residential zone, it was one of the least frequented entrance to the forest behind her apartment. Stopping in front of the path, Sakura placed her hands by her hips and directed a challenging eye at Itachi.

"You scared?" Watching her childish and arrogant demeanour, he clicked his tongue in amusement.

"You sure you should be asking me that, Sakura-san?" Itachi fired back. By now, Sakura was smart enough to know that in a match of aggravation, Itachi would be the last person to fall for any sort of provocation. She really appreciated his attempt to humour her.

"Are you underestimating me just because I can't use my _chakra_? I'll show you what modern girls are made of, Itachi-san," Sakura countered and entered the forest without waiting for Itachi.

"Hn, I'm waiting, Sakura-san."

Surrounded by the dense greenery while ambling on a track free of the din of traffic, Itachi welcomed the rich sense of nostalgia that tugged at his heart with every step along the dry, hard earth. The refreshing scent of mild dew and woods, the shivering of the leaves as the occasional wind breezed past them combined with faint buzzing of the insects – it was as though he was back at his Konoha. With the redundancy for urgency and secrecy, he was overcome with the urge to hop onto one of the emergent to get a bird's eye view of Konoha, just because he could.

Sakura made a sudden veer to the right, and Itachi followed wordlessly. They had to burrow their way through overgrown shrubs while trekking along a narrow path that would not be visible unless one was intentionally looking for it. Instead of climbing uphill, this artificial trail was leading them down and further away from the designated track. Sakura appeared to be concentrating on something ahead of them. Stopping in her track, she turned around and faced Itachi.

"Itachi-san, do you hear it?" Without straining his ears, he could already make out the mellifluous sound of flowing water. They finally arrived at a small clearing beside a two meter wide stream bank. A beam of sunlight hit the surface of the pellucid water, creating a sparkle that gave the place an enchanting quality. Opposite the shore lay a thick belt of jungle, creating an orchestra of green backdrop that seemed to stretch on endlessly. They stood alongside by the bank, soaking in the beauty of nature without human intervention.

"How did you come across this beautiful stream?"

"It was by chance; once I accidently flung my phone into the shrubs and as I was searching for it, I found this," gliding her arm across the landscape.

Depositing her tote under an ancient oak tree, she began peeling off her clothes under the comforting shade of its crown, leaving her exposed in a black halter one-piece swimsuit. Itachi saw and took the cue to shred off his loose tee and berms, and that was when Sakura was not as captivated by the nature as before.

Flexing his unused muscles, he began to busy himself with warm up exercises. Sakura coerced herself to focus on the grandeur of the scenery – just look at that surface water, don't the sparkles resembled diamonds, twinkling and teasing you to join them? _Oh, who am I kidding? The masculine beauty beside me easily beat this landscape!_

At the pretence of mimicking his moves, Sakura was able to catch a glimpse of his defined arms and legs, and the satisfying subtle lines of his six packs, not eye-catchy yet definitely there, like the owner. She also spied a few faint slash scars along his otherwise smooth back, the definite mark of his bravery and treacherous days as a ninja.

"Sakura-san, is anything the matter?" Itachi asked, breaking the peaceful silence. _Yek! He caught me! This is so embarrassing…_

"I-I am just wondering do you need some sun block," Sakura answered without missing a beat. When he did not object, she rummaged through her bag, and asked the unthinkable.

"Do you want me to apply for you?" while motioning to her back. Itachi's eyes widened a fraction, affirming Sakura that her boldness was a wrong move. _Is this how you should behave around your idol's lookalike?!_

"…Alright." Upon agreeing to her audacious request, he sashayed towards her and promptly sat on the cool turf. Sakura stared down with the bottle in hand, dumbfounded.

"The water's evaporating, Sakura-san." Itachi prompted.

"Ah, yes… It is going to feel slightly cooling," Sakura forewarned, as she kneed down and began applying the sun block generously on his pale back. She was trying to suppress the notion that she was _feeling him up_, as opposed to doing him a favour. His back felt as solid as she imagined, and as her hands skimmed over the scars, she pondered upon the story of each wound.

"Do they hurt?" Sakura enquired softly.

"When they were raw and fresh, but not anymore. Being able to use chakra suddenly doesn't seem so fun, don't you think?" Itachi remarked, thinking about all those who perished under his blood-stained hands.

"I wouldn't bet on it…" She remembered the kid from Itach's flashback, waving the sharp blade carelessly with the danger of cutting himself. And the worse - that kid seemed to be _having fun_. His era's idea of fun was comparably different from her era, but she was not going to argue about it. After all, he was still well and alive, right? Clapping assuredly on his protected back, she hastily slatted on some over her body and dragged him to the edge.

"Sakura-san, I was kidding when I said the water will evaporate…" Itachi teased, as though Sakura took his word for real. He caught a soft sigh as she stopped pulling him.

"Mou, will you quit with the 'san,' Itachi-san? Since we are staying together I don't think there's a need for such formalities, and you are older than me! It makes me feel embarrassed…" She was taken aback by her brazen behaviour, but they were also half-naked, and she had touched him (with a valid reason); compared to the former this request was child's play, she reasoned.

Secretly, Sakura was also hoping that this could break down the barrier between them, so that maybe they could be friends…? Somehow, it felt too big of a wish.

"Alright, then you shall address me by my name too, Sakura," Itachi demanded while crossing his arms, already getting the hang of calling by her first name. She was not prepared for him to agree without even putting up a fight! Sometimes, she could not help but felt like she was bullying him into submission; either that or he was simply too good of a person.

"If's that what you want, I-Itachi…" She felt weird to address him so causally. To ease her inner awkwardness, she began chanting his name in her mind. _Itachi, Itachi, hi Itachi! So glad to see you, Itachi! What do want for dinner, Itachi? Good night, Itachi… _She found herself slightly turned on by the last notion. She caught his inquisitive eyes on hers, and in an attempt to diffuse the uncomfortable situation, she tried to distract him.

"Look! That looks like the crow from yesterday!" When he turned his head to look at the aforementioned crow, she launched a powerful shove at his back, sending him pouring towards the water. Itachi had only let down his guard for a moment beside Sakura, and the next thing he knew she was overstepping her boundary! He twisted his body to her, his eyes shining with an impish glint at the promise of revenge. Just then, he noticed that she remained paralyzed to her spot on shore, right hand clutching her heart, her face as white as a sheet of paper.

"I-Itachi, are you s-standing on w-water?!" She gasped, pointing a wobbly finger at Itachi. This time it was Itachi who felt like kicking himself mentally, for lowering his guard not once, but _twice _in a row.

"Calm down, Sakura. Remember chakra? We can also channel them to our feet, and it became very much instinctive when it comes to things… Like this…" Shrugging at his feet, he realised that glozing any form of chakra manipulation in this era was as effective as asking Madara to cut his Tsuki no Me crap and go rest in peace.

"W-wow… That's… That's so DAMN COOL ITACHI!" Itachi's head sprung up. The earlier look of apprehension gave way to reverence and wonderment at her male companion in the waters, or more accurately, _on_ the water. Sakura dashed into the stream to join him, and while her body was submerged in the crystal clear water, he remained perfectly dry standing on the water.

"Itachi, you are like Poseidon – The God of water! If you can stand on water that means you can run-! Oh dear I don't think I can look at you the same way as before…" Sakura professed dramatically, one hand shielding her face while the other did an air push at his direction.

"T-This is really no big deal at my era… Every ninja needs to be able to do this or else they are as good as dead." Itachi replied modestly, feeling sheepish. It was no use; Sakura was too distracted to pay attention to anything he was saying. Suddenly, he felt a series of tickles underneath his feet and flinching from the sensation; he momentarily lost his concentration and dropped into the clear water, creating a big splash over Sakura.

Returning onto the surface, he spilt out a mouthful of water and narrowed his eyes at Sakura, who was slapping the water in seventh heaven.

"L-Looks like I just found out your weakness, Itachi! Are you going to kill me now?" Sakura giggled and her eyes widened in mock fear. Itachi appeared to be contemplating her request.

"No… On the contrary, why not _you_ try to kill me?" Itachi proposed. Sakura was taken aback by the turn of their conversation.

"Why would I do that?" She challenged, eyes speaking of interest by the notion.

"Ho, by that response are you implying that you can kill-" With a forceful punch directed at his stomach, Itachi's sentence was cut short by Sakura's surprise attack.

"Sorry if it hurts, Itachi!" _That's what you get for underestimating me, shannaro!_

"Were you saying something, Sakura?" The Itachi who she punched earlier was rapidly dissolving, transforming into a fountain of water which cascaded gently to join with the rest of the water body. She swivelled her body to her back, where the original Itachi was, smirking at her.

"H-How did you do that?" _Damn, he's fast!_

"If I tell you, then I'd have to kill you, Sakura."

* * *

**AHHHHHH, I did not plan for this to happen! But when I brought them to the stream, one scene hit me after another, my imagination started running wild and… Oh well but I am satisfied with their development *smirks* **

**Thank you, dear readers who earnestly followed this story till here. I may be running out of ideas soon so if you guys are kind enough or have any cute suggestions (even dirty ones :)), do comment! If there are scenes or technical aspects which you think I can improve on, do fire, I'll all for improving! Till the next chapter!**


	6. Itachi's Decision, Sasuke's Feelings

**Chapter5 Recall:**

Sakura has a new group project, a visit to Kizuna University's cafeteria, meeting Ino's ex (you all know who he is by now), an unexpected request and an intimate playtime with Itachi.

* * *

**Chapter6 – Itachi's Decision, Sasuke's Feelings**

Slipping into her loafers, Sakura did a mock salute at Itachi, who was stationed by the living room entrance to see her off.

"I'm leaving, Itachi-san- I mean, Itachi," Sakura corrected herself with an embarrassed grin.

"Take care, Sakura." He nodded his regards and her heart did a little leap at the intimacy (she was still getting used to being called _Sakura_) and genuine concern expressed. Things between them changed since that faithful evening spent by the magical stream.

At least Sakura was certain things definitely changed, when she found herself sneaking more than an occasional glance at him, stuttering whenever he asked her a question, and being unable to fall asleep that night, as though suddenly aware of his prominent presence and proximity to her. She even had a crazy notion she might have a crazy rough dream and would tumble on top of him. That effectively prevented any sleep till it was nearly five.

"Oh, I won't be home till five; I have a project meeting after school so… 'Fraid I can't have lunch with you, Itachi…" Sakura regarded Itachi pensively.

"I see. Don't worry about me; I can settle my own meal. I know my way around," Itachi ascertained Sakura, though she was still unconvinced by his last claim. After all, Konoha should have changed since the last century, right? He detected her disbelieving eyes and felt a smile tugging at his mouth.

"Sakura, there's really no need for your worries. I have already found my way into the future; what more just _within_ Konoha. I can even summon my crows to guide me if you're-"

"EEE! Not the crows please! Alright, alright I trust you… I'll buy back dinner then!"

* * *

Catapulting herself onto the road to stop the bus, she managed to catch the last bus that would send her to school on time. Their earlier conversation had eaten into her morning routine and she had to dash all the way to the bus-stop.

"Gosh, why is it always this crowded?" She was having a hard time weaving through the crowds while holding her breath to block off the wrath of the perfumes.

"Good morning, Sakura-san," Came a polite greeting beside her.

"Oh! Good morning Gaara-san! I didn't see you," She breathed out, flashing a surprised smile. "Hey, you looked washed out." Sakura noticed the dark circles and slight sallowness in his complexion, and her smile turned into a concerned frown reserved for her patients.

"I did not sleep well last night," he replied simply, but his blasé expression belied his troubled eyes; Sakura was certain it more than just a matter of amnesia. Considering their (undesirable) environment and the (shallow) depth of their friendship, Sakura figured that the bus was hardly a place for opening up and sharing feelings, assuming he was troubled _and_ was willing to confide in her. It was also her turn to talk, and with each growing seconds the silence between them stretched on uncomfortably.

"Er, Gaara-san, I still heaven asked what made you decide to come study in Konoha? And during the final year…" She was trying her best not to sound too nosy or unwelcoming, but with Gaara staring ahead and deep in thoughts, it hit her that it might be a personal question and she could be putting him in a difficult position. "H-hey it's okay if you don't feel like answering… Sorry about that, Gaa-"

"I came here for a woman." He answered eventually.

"Oh, that's ni- you WHAT?" Sakura was prepared for a nod of gratitude for her kind understanding and maybe even a "tell you next time," followed by a rare showcase of a Gaara smile. She even went as far to assume that it might be Kizuna's reputation that attracted an outstanding student from Sand to ditch his land's school last minute. Anything could happen right?

She just did not imagine Gaara to be the type to leave everything behind for a _woman_. That lucky lady must be something.

"Wow, what did you do to drive her all the way over the desert to Konoha? She must be quite upset eh?" Sakura replied jokingly.

"I guess it's partly my fault. I've been so busy with school that I left no time for her and didn't even realised she's sick; now she's having treatment here since there's nowhere more renown than Konoha in terms of medical expertise." Sakura gasped when she realised the sacrifices that Gaara made for the unknown lady. She pulsed her lips shamefully at her earlier assumption that the lady actually scarpered off in a fit of anger, as though someone as placid as Gaara could infuriate any girl.

"Gaara-san, I'm sorry to hear that; is she doing better here?"

"I'm not sure… Even though she claimed to be feeling fine, her face has become paler and she lost so much weight… I don't- Sorry Sakura-san, I shouldn't be telling you all these," Gaara offered an apologetic grin at her, none of it reaching his jaded eyes.

"Hey, it's okay, you saved me the other day on the bus remember? It's the least I can repay your services by lending a listening ear," she replied while giving a consoling tap on his solid shoulder, eyes softening at his show of vulnerability. He meekly nodded before straightening his back, replacing on his regular mask of impassiveness. That was clearly the end of topic.

"So, how do you find your geog group mates?" They have just alighted a few metres away from Kizuna High, and apart from a few students, they were the only ones strolling along the pathway. Gaara burrowed his brows at her question.

"I don't think Kiba likes me a lot, and Hinata is really soft-spoken and quiet. But I think we get along just fine," Gaara concluded, though Sakura felt that that sounded far from fine and was only for the benefit of her doubt.

"Well… I'm glad to hear that, Gaara-san!"

* * *

Classes whirred by in a blur and soon it was lunch time.

"Hey guys, shall we head to U's cafeteria?" Sakura causally suggested. She had spent the sleepless night thinking, trying to dismantle the bomb Itachi dropped on her. If the normal route could not cut it, then she had to take extreme measures. She needed to talk to _him_.

"Again? Didn't we just go there?" Ino pointed out, to Naruto's confusion.

"What? You guys went uphill without me? What kind of friends are you!" Naruto protested loudly.

"Sorry Naruto, it was a last minute decision and you weren't around… Come on Ino, I'm er, craving for that western store..." Sakura lied, since that was the only valid reason that Ino might buy for her insistence to visit there.

"Y-Yes, their bento sets tastes good too," Hinata injected, and at that moment Sakura could not love Hinata more than anyone.

"Alright… I'm only agreeing because of the fabulous vi- I mean food of course."

The wafts of the various delicacies teased at their olfactory senses and made their climb worthwhile. While it was packed as usual, there was no escaping the jocund atmosphere of the U's cafeteria and being wrapped into its effervescence.

"I still can't believe you guys came here without me…" Naruto grumbled while doing his signature pout and puffy cheeks effect that Sakura adored, and she could not stop the laughter which slipped through her mouth at his wind tousled hair. Sometimes he could be such a child, but his tall and built physique would jump out at her and reminded her that they were of equal seniority.

Sakura volunteered to chomp their seats, and took the opportunity to scan the vicinity for her target. Though it was easier than searching for a pin in the ocean, it did not make her task any easier with the constant activity and non-stop chatters. If anyone could get her the documents she needed, it was him.

"Looking for me, Ms Haruno?" There came a booming voice behind, causing Sakura to jump out of her skin and knocking her knee against the timber table.

"W-Wa! You scared the daylights out of me, Dei! Please don't do that again!" Sakura chided as she rubbed at her sore knee.

"As welcoming as usual, hmm. Finally decided to come to terms with your feelings and confess your undying love for me? You can always call, you know, hmm."

"You wish. And you wouldn't pick up even if I call, so why bother." Sakura replied pointedly, remembering the last twenty missed calls she had left on his phone when she needed his help with a broken sink. When he finally called back two days later, she had already hired professor help and was ready to kill him for breaking his promise of "being there for her".

"Tsk, you might be the only girl who bears grudges against me, you know? I have already explained that I was working on my sculpture and forgot about my phone – heck I didn't even change my clothes for the entire week I was working on it!" Deidara confessed in an effort to mollify Sakura.

"Dei, you do realise that's kind of gross yea? I sincerely hope not all artists are like you!" Sakura exclaimed as she let off a series of giggles at Deidara's pouty expression of what's wrong with being me.

"Okay, I better leave before things gets awkward." Sakura knew that by awkward he was referring to Ino.

"Yes, do come by again. If you don't mind, bring along your friend Guts."

"You're so mean, Sakura, hmm." Sticking out her tongue at his laughing retreating back, she decided that she needed to do something for Deidara. She could no longer stand her two bosom buddies acting like strangers anymore.

"What you nodding your head at, Sakura? Your forehead too heavy?" Ino teased as she pushed a plate of lasagne towards a determined Sakura.

"Hey you're back! Oh wow thanks for the food. How'd know I wanted this?" Feeling impressed by Ino's display of understanding towards her, she was even more resolved to unthaw the cold war between her and Dei. It was the least she could do.

"What are you saying? Didn't you tell me your order just now? Weirdo Sakura…" Ino murmured under her breath, before shaking her head and diving into her grilled salmon.

* * *

"Hey guys, I'm going to look for a friend at the U campus; why not you all go back first?" The last thing Sakura wanted was to raise any suspicions and to entertain any questions so it was safer to carry out the mission herself.

"Friend? Since when you have a friend at Uni?" Ino remarked incredulously and Sakura felt slightly hurt at her curtness.

"W-We met at Konoha Hospital and I want to ask some questions about the entrance test," Sakura fibbed, hoping that would suffice for now.

"What's the rush? Why not just wait till you see her at the hospital and ask?" Ino countered, as though set to ruffle Sakura's feathers. She felt her patience waning, but fortuitously, her sweet o' best friend Hinata came to her rescue.

"I-Ino, it must be an important question. We know how much this test means to Sakura-chan so let's just head back for now, ne?" Sakura could see that Ino was swayed by her explanation, and did a mental victory punch.

"Alright, we'll see you in class, Sakura-chan!" Naruto, who has been keeping quiet all this time, suddenly chimed in, and all the more unusual was the lack of protest from his part. Sakura was pleasantly surprised; maybe he was finally growing up?

"Sweet! See ya!" After sending some muah-muah in their direction, she vamoosed from the cafeteria.

"Bye bye!" Naruto waved her off energetically.

"_Sweet_, so what do we do now?" Ino scowled as she folded her arms.

"L-Let's go ba-" Hinata began before she was rudely interrupted by Naruto.

"Isn't that obvious? We're going to follow her!" His revelation was immediately followed by an evil snigger.

* * *

"Naruto, you can't be thinking…?" Ino trailed off, finally realising where this was heading.

"I think Sakura-chan is hiding something from us and this is the only chance to find out what!" Naruto birred triumphantly, showing his front teeth and sniggering away at his brilliant plan.

"Now that you mention it, Sakura does seem to be acting weird…" Even Ino had to admit that she was excited by the prospect of tailing Sakura and to get a heads up on her mysterious 'friend.' Besides, it would be a downer to just return to their classroom when they already made an effort to visit the Uni compound.

"Hinata-chan, you are joining us yea?" When there was no response, he started to poke at her cheeks.

"Y-Yes Na-Naruto-kun! I'm coming with you guys…" Her face turned so red that for a moment Ino was worried that she would pass out. She prayed that Hinata was not crushing on Naruto.

They began tracking her footsteps, finally catching up to her and followed the steady movement of her back, taking care to keep a cautious distance away from detection. She made a beeline for the middle classroom block and vanished behind the staircase.

"Quick we're losing her!" Naruto dashed across the atrium and beckoned the ladies to the base of the steps, while his astute eye was locked onto Sakura's back. Naruto's enthusiasm was infectious; even Hinata was into the moment! Ino knew she could always count on this rambunctious kid for a dose of ecstasy.

"Whe… Where is she?" Ino huffed out.

"She made a right turn on the third floor. Let's hurry!" The three stalkers sprinted up the stairs in record time and screeched to an abrupt halt at the T-junction at Naruto's hand signal. He dared a peek beyond the edge of the wall, and motioned for the ladies to join him in his surveillance.

"Target confirm; hundred metres ahead stationary outside Class 3C-04. Looking uncertain yet cute aww! Why did you hit me Ino?" Naruto twisted his head to glare at Ino.

"Er hello? We are right behind you – there's no need to _report_ her whereabouts you idiot!" Ino upbraided in a hushed whisper, and Naruto could not help but wonder if it was his compliment that irked her. _Hah, that's too bad for her! Sakura is wayyy cuter and nicer than Ino anyway_.

"L-Look! I think that's her friend!" Naruto and Ino immediately stopped their skirmish and directed their vision towards a silver-hair senior who was having an animated conversation with Sakura. Judging by their body language, they were well-acquainted.

"Naruto, Hinata, any idea who is that?" Ino whispered.

"I-I think he's the senior who failed four times for the High School final exams!" Hinata informed, equally bumped by the knowledge as her companions.

"W-what? Is that even possible? Is that even _allowed_?" Ino asked disbelievingly, threading between whether to be in awe or be appalled by his record.

"Yea! Who's that guy and why is he talking to Sakura-chan?" Naruto remarked quizzically. _Guess there is someone worse than me after all…_

"But he does look kinda cute, even with the glass-"

"H-He's taking her somewhere!" Hinata's words caused Ino to lose her balance and she went collapsing onto Hinata. Caught off guard, she failed to support her weight and went diving onto Naruto's back. Like a domino's effect, they went dropping onto the main corridor, piling on top of one another with grunts of agony.

"W-what happened?" Naruto groaned while sandwiched between the dusty tiles and the ladies.

"Argh, I-I think I sprained my ankle!" Ino squeaked painfully as she peeled herself off Hinata, one arm extended to pull the puzzled girl up. Between the grunts and pain, they failed to notice that they have caused a spectacle and everyone in the corridor _and_ those behind the classroom windows were gaping at the trio with startled and incredulous expressions.

"This is so embarrassing…" Naruto mumbled after thanking Hinata for helping him up.

"Come _on;_ now isn't the time for speaking the obvious; _let's go_," were Ino's explicit orders which Naruto and Hinata happily obliged, given the impressive first impression they made in their future institution's corridor.

"Wait, what about Sakura? We don't know where that guy is bringing her-"

"Naruto, we'll just ask Sakura later alright? It's too late to turn back now, right Hinata?" Hinata was too distracted with sending prayers that word of their commotion would not get to Neji nii-san, or she would not know how to face him when she reached home, _ever_.

* * *

Sakura swallowed a gulp of courage, slatted on some confidence and took purposeful strides towards Class 3C-04, trying her best to ignore the curious glances of her seniors. She slowed her steps and hesitated at the entrance, wondering if she should proceed with this rash decision. After all, what she had in mind was hardly normal and far from legal, and what if he rejected her request?

"Hey, are you looking for someone?" Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and came face to face with a cute senior, who was offering an inquisitive grin down at her. He was over a head taller than her, with chocolate brown hair and sharp jaws but what really pulled at her was the bubbly aura emitted from him that instantly eradicated her earlier concerns and feelings of incongruity. She returned his grin with her grateful one.

"H-Hi! Yes, I'm looking for Yabushi Kabuto? He's from this class," Sakura added lamely.

"Ahh, Kabuto-san. And you are?" The cute senior prodded.

"He'll know when he sees me, hopefully."

"Being mysterious eh? I like girls like you. Give me a sec?" He took a couple of backward steps into the class, and that was when Sakura felt like she had a fever – her cheeks were burning and she felt giddy from the unexpected compliment. She felt slightly ashamed that she would turn into a tomato after hearing a patronising praise from a complete stranger, albeit a cute one. She quickly straightened herself and resolved to strengthen up her immunity.

"Hey, Kabuto-san! A cute girl is looking for you~!" The cute senior shouted and sent a wink in her direction, and Sakura's earlier resolve dissolved in an instant.

"Sakura-chan? Fancy seeing you here! Is everything alright?" Kabuto enquired with concern.

"Hi! Yes everything is alright, why would you ask that?"

"I mean, you took a sudden leave, and a week long for the matter! That isn't your style, Sakura-chan," he pointed out and she immediately felt guilty for not informing him about it, or even offering an explanation.

"I'm so sorry Kabuto-san, I should have told you about it-"

"Hey, you don't have to apologise, I mean I'm not your Dad! Anyway, it's only when you're gone that I realised the amount of workload that you handled is nuts! How did you do all _that_ and still have energy for classes?" Sakura was flummoxed by his comment, when things clicked in her mind.

"Oh you mean… You took over my entire week worth of working shift?! On top of yours?" Kabuto nodded sheepishly at her expression.

"Don't worry about it, I know what I can handle-"

"No, I feel so _bad_ now, Kabuto-san! That is so irresponsible of me! Shizune-san should have phoned me if the hospital is short of staffs…" Sakura smacked her forehead self-deprecatingly at her flippant attitude towards her future career. She was going to be a god-damn Doctor for goodness sake!

"Sakura-chan! If you really feel bad, there is a way. You know the saying, 'The way into a man's heart…"

"… Is through his stomach. Alright then I shall whip up something worth your taste buds!" Emboldened by his trust in her culinary skills, she was determined not to let herself down this time round.

"Speaking of which, why are you looking for me? It must be urgent for you to come all the way up here from your campus ne?" Kabuto reflected.

"Oh that's right! When I start to talk, I tend to overlook the objective…" She looked up feeling abashed, but Kabuto remained unfazed and urged her on with his eyes encouragingly.

"Actually, you see." She toned her voice down several notches before continuing, "I need you to help me duplicate some documents." There. The cat was finally out of the bag.

"Duplicate? Wouldn't any printing ma- Oh, you mean _duplicate_," Kabuto's voice lowered dangerously, and Sakura felt an involuntary shiver ran through her spine. The earlier carefree and affable Kabuto was gone; this Kabuto meant business.

"It's dangerous to talk about this here, let's go somewhere quieter." He did a subtle swipe of their surrounding before gripping Sakura by her wrist. Leaving no room for negotiations, he escorted her, fine, pulled her, towards the end of the corridor, and led them behind the door leading to the various University club rooms.

"Okay, Sakura-chan, tell me what you need."

"Kabuto-san, I need you to forge an identification card and a certificate," Sakura supplied simply. He crossed his arms and thought for a moment.

"I suppose these ain't for you?" He finally responded.

"No… This is for a distant relative of mine, who recently came to Konoha from a rural village to live. The place he came from is going to be demolished by the local government due to its decrepit houses, so he… Contacted me and I offered him my space…" Sakura recited out the cover for Itachi which she had painstakingly revised and rehearsed before she confronted Kabuto. It was the only way to gloze his anonymity.

"So he escaped from his homeland? And entered Konoha through the backdoor?" Sakura nodded her head. She thought that Kabuto's conclusion was near the mark of the actual scenario, but naturally she could not reveal that.

"He's… He told me that he practised as a ninja apprentice…" _Shit, why did I say that?_

"Which explains why he could bypass Konoha's security," Kabuto continued for Sakura as she meekly nodded. She could not believe her luck – Kabuto actually believed her!

"Ninja huh, how interesting…" Sakura knotted her fingers in anxiety, certain that request would be denied the moment she mentioned the N word but Kabuto appeared to be intrigued.

"I get why he would need an ID card, but the certificate?"

"You see, he's coped up in my house the whole day and I thought it would be better if he could enrol in a Uni, where he can make friends… He's twenty-one. But you see Kabuto-san, the registration fee isn't exactly cheap…"

"And you figure that he could use a cert to be granted scholarship to solve the monetary issue, am I right Sakura-chan?"

"I-I know this is a lot to ask for, and I may not be able to pay you off till I graduate and get a job, but I really hope you can help me in on this one!" Sakura beseeched. Kabuto remained still for a considerable period of time, the deafly silence slowly suffocating her. She lowered her head and squirmed on her feet to embrace for the worst.

"… It can be done, but on one condition," his gravelly voice cutting through the wall of silence, causing Sakura to jump slightly. She spun her head up, not quite registering his words.

"Y-You are willing to do it for me? Really?! Oh my god thank you so much Kabuto-san! One condition? I would agree to any number of conditions!" Kabuto's eyes softened at her perkiness and smiled at her.

"Yes, Sakura-chan just one. That would be to take over my entire week of shift for next week." Sakura froze in her victory dance.

"That's it?" Her eyes were searching his for a hint of deceit, eschewed by the breeziness of the condition.

"That's it. So now, would you stop looking at me like that and give me his particulars? Kabuto ascertained, obsidian eyes twinkling.

* * *

Her friends were giving her the eye and she immediately smelt something fishy. As they spotted Sakura entering their classroom, they reverted back to staring listlessly ahead, backing up her theory. She stood beside her desk and ruffled Naruto's tousled blond hair in an attempt to 'wake' him up.

" Narutoooo, I'm back." Though he remained motionless, she saw his arm twitched involuntarily, holding back from acknowledging her. She spun her body around to look at Ino and Hinata, where they quickly looked away, caught red-handed at eyeing Sakura. She sighed dramatically; she hated to be in suspense.

"Naruto, you can ask me anything you want so quit your sleeping act." His head shot up with enough force to dislocate his neck bones, and squinted his eyes disgruntledly at her.

"Sakura-chan, who's that four-eyes?"

"Naruto! You're not supposed to ask like that! S-Sakura, is there something you are not telling us?" Ino baited with a saccharine voice.

"Sakura-chan, did he do anything to you? If he dares to hurt you I'm gonna beat him into a pulp-"

"NA. RU. TO," Ino warned with a deadly stare before continuing," Sakura, you've never mention you have a thing for our seniors-"

"WHAT?! Sakura-chan actually likes that glasses guy?!" Agitated, he shot to his feet, ready to prance onto anyone braved enough to step in his way.

"G-Guys, please calm down…" Hinata pleaded helplessly.

"What about Sasuke-kun?"

_SLAM_. Their embarrassing altercation was cut short by Sakura's resounding palm slam on her desk. Their raucous exchange revealed enough for Sakura to have an urge to grab the desk and hauled it through the window, followed by the chair, and Naruto. However, that might startle Gaara, and she was not going to risk destroying their precious friendship built over the bus ride because of her stalker friends.

"You guys tailed me?!"

"Sakura, we are concerned about you-"

"Yea! We even made sure not to be discovered by you…" Naruto coaxed, and Sakura heaved another sigh at this meaningless quibble.

"That's not the point! Ok, you want to know who that is. His name is Kabuto. As I mentioned before we met at Konoha Hospital and the reason he brought me to the stairs _as you observed, _was to have some privacy and not obstruct the traffic. Satisfied?" That effectively shut them up. After a few peaceful seconds of self-reflection and wallowing in deep regrets, Naruto was the first to speak up.

"So does that mean he's not your crush, Sakura-cha- AWWW! Why did you hit me, Ino!"

* * *

After school, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke decided to conduct a field trip to Yonder Forest to collect data as part of their Geography research. After an unfruitful bus trip, they have arrived at the Gate next to Haruna Residence.

The ground was slightly damp from the short drizzle an hour ago, and their displeasure was clearly conveyed by Naruto's on and off bemoaning along their way as they took turns stepping on and splashing mud to the person behind.

"Watch your step, douche-bag."

"Shut your trap, Sasuke-teme! Can't you see my shoes AND pants are dripping mud?" Naruto retorted, and Sakura just shook her head. While it was not exactly desirable to be getting soil stains on her loafers, at least it was caused unintentionally by Sasuke. She was not going to cause a ruckus over petty affairs.

After getting their shoes suitably soiled, they redirected their focus to their surrounding grandeur. Sakura caught her breath at the resplendent ceiling sheltering them from the relentless sunlight; between the interlocking branches and leaves were interspersed with specks of lights peeking at them. As they made contact with the droplets on the leaves, they radiated pulsing glows that echoed the stars. The result was a daylight celestial of dancing stars, teasing and grinning at her.

Reaching for her bag, she withdrew a piece of paper and pencil, and began manually capturing this scene. A few feet ahead, Naruto was picking through the leaf litter, scaring the wits out of the dozing insects, while Sasuke watched her. He hated to admit it, but seeing her expressing an outright fascination and enamour to the forest pulled at his heart.

He was always under the impression that girls were more interested in themselves and impressing boys to bother with their surroundings, let alone the forest. When he was younger, Itachi would secretly bring him to the forest where they would ascent trees and race through the dense woods during summers. They would end up bedraggled and enervated, but contented. Even as their Mother reprimanded Itachi for making a mess of themselves, he would maintain his grip on his hand, locked his eye on his and slipping an assuring smile that it was all worth it. Since then, the forest was a sacred place for him, filled with tender recollections of their happy times.

It appeared that Sakura reciprocated that feeling, and Sasuke felt himself taking unconscious steps towards her, wanting to have a closer look at her.

"The forest, it does funny things to your brain, doesn't it, Sasuke-kun? I swear the canopy looks like it's shining stars!" Sakura announced exuberantly, jotting Sasuke back to the present, in time to retract his hand from touching Sakura's forehead.

"Hnn, I guess," Sasuke conceded begrudgingly, feeling flustered from his unexpected act. He hastily jogged ahead of her and knocked onto Naruto, muttering a sorry before disappearing around a bend.

Naruto spat out a mouthful of leaves and propelled himself off the ground to point vehemently at his direction.

"What's wrong with him?" Sakura merely shrugged, still drugged from the beauty of the natural woodlands.

* * *

_What's wrong with me_?

Sasuke recorded the various species of birds he spotted dotting across the forest, feeling disgusted by his lack of emotional control. He was angry at himself since his actions confirmed the incontrovertible fact he had tried so hard to suppress all these years – he missed hanging out with Itachi. He could never forget that faithful night which changed his world.

When Itachi declared that he was going to give University a miss to hit the stage and be a singer, Sasuke poured out laughing at his pathetic attempt at joking. He thought, _singer_, are you kidding me? Itachi was not even trying to be creative! Their parents, however, was taking his joke rather seriously.

"What do you mean University is of _no interest _to you? Furthering your studies isn't a choice, it's a necessity!" Their Father, Kanae Fugaku roared as he slammed his newspaper onto the coffee table and turned to glare at Itachi. Sasuke felt his skin jump and heartbeat accelerating; why was Father so agitated?

"F-Father, nii-san was just joking! Why are you so-"

"I have no intent following in your footsteps, Father. So what's the point in continuing this charade when the next course of action is so obvious?" Itachi rationalised in an eerily calm voice. Fugaku breathed out slowly, struggling to compose himself.

"I thought we've had this conversation, Itachi. I understand that you have reservations to taking over the company, but given your capabilities and outstanding performance thus far helping out at the HQ, I don't see what the issue is, "Fugaku reasoned. Sasuke felt overcome with dizziness. He spun his head to and forth his Father and Brother, wondering if they were teaming up to orchestrate this joke.

He dared a glimpse at Itachi, and felt his heart gripped with despair. Itachi was not joking. His usual teasing onyx orbs were replaced with glinting steel conviction, locked in an intense psychological war with their Father, a war which Itachi appeared to be winning.

"I am going to be a singer, Father." Itachi said.

Itachi was not joking.

Shortly after, Itachi left the house and began his career as a musician. From sitting on a long-legged chair singing to desolated souls in cramped hippy cafes, to being spotted and soaring into a mega idol within three months was no easy feat. Half a year after his departure from Kanae compound, he was already preparing for his first local concert.

With his earth-shattering good looks and sonorous and smooth voice, it was not long before he won over the hearts of girlfriends and mums. That included Kanae Mikoto, who shredded a tear seeing Itachi over the TV.

"He looks happy, Fugaku," Mikoto pointed out with a quivery voice. While Fugaku remained mum, Sasuke stared at the screen, helpless as a smile tugged at his corner. _At least he's making other people happy._

_But what about me? Why did he leave me alone, to bear his responsibility?_

Sasuke missed his footing and went pummelling into the crystal-clear river. He gasped helplessly for air, grabbing feebly around for support. He fought against the gravity, but felt himself sinking and robbed of fresh air. His throat burnt and crawled at him to get out of the water, but his body felt like lead, consciousness slipping as he surrendered to the depths of the river.

He thought he saw Itachi smiling at him, reaching out to him like all those years ago, always there to pull him up when he fell, to watch his back even when back watching was unnecessary. Wasn't that what brothers were for?

* * *

**Hi fellow readers! Sorry for the delayed update; I was facing zero motivation because I was having uncertainties to the progress of the story… Until yesterday, I had no idea how to pen out the hundred scenes I've painted out weeks ago. It was horrible. Fortuitously, I'm back on form so hope you guys enjoyed the little brother's flashback as much as I did!**


	7. You Make Me Hot and Cold

**Chapter6 Recall:**

Sakura got a little deep and personal with Gaara, asked Kabuto for a favour, Team Forest paid the Yonder Forest a visit, Sasuke had a memory trip down the lane which ended with him getting into a wet situation.

* * *

**Chapter7 – You Make Me Hot &amp; Cold**

"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?

"Sasuke, doing fine?"

"Sasuke-kun, what are you doing in school? Shouldn't you be at home resting?" Sasuke felt his nerve ticking, patience waning, but years of cultivated self-control and logic held him from grabbing their collars, demanding them to mind their own business. He merely returned their comments with an icy stare, pissed at whomever who spread the news of his… Incident. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Sasuke, you don't look good- Whoa chill yo, I meant no harm," Shikamaru recoiled slightly as he raised two hands in mock surrender. Sasuke gave him a murderous look before he soundlessly strode off ahead towards their classroom.

"Quite a touchy fellow, wonder what those girls see in him…"

"Shikamaru, who are you talking to?" Ino asked behind him, causing him to jump. Realising it was his group mate, he released a loud sigh.

"Geez, can you not sneak up from behind me? I also wasn't talking to anyone…" Shikamaru complained before he carried on walking. Ino frowned and followed behind him, baffled by his jittery behaviour. Maybe today was just not his day.

When they entered the classroom, there was a palpable tension suspended within the four walls - a hushed argument was brewing at the front desk between Naruto and Sasuke.

As Ino slipped into her seat, she joined the rest of the girls gathered at the back of the classroom with their own cliques, observing as their argument unfolded. Despite the negativity emitted from the two guys, the girls were visibly excited and were busy whispering. Ino leaned toward and tapped on Sakura's shoulder, causing her to jump.

"Geez, Ino! Can you not sneak up on me like that? You scared me…" It was Ino's turn to shoot both her arms up in incredulity. Shouldn't everyone be less uptight on Fridays? She did not recall any tests today and could not make sense of all these pend up tension of her usually well-composed classmates, minus Naruto.

"Sorry… I just wanted to add in my two cents. Look at those two! They are already going at it, and classes have not even begun!" Ino remarked incredulously, though secretly she was curious to the cause of Sasuke's wrath. Her careless comment caused two girls to stare at her.

"Ino, when you put it that way…" Hinata added beside her, a furious blush rushing onto her cheeks.

"Damn it Sasuke, I already said I'm sorry! Can't you just let it go already? It's not like drowning is anything to be ashamed about!" Naruto slammed the table and stood up, followed by a chorus of horrified gasp by the girls. Sasuke remained quiescent, the only sign giving him away were the tightly clenched fists rested on his desk.

"What? Sasuke-kun drowned?!"

"I heard he was hurt, but I didn't know…" Stirred by the mummers courtesy of Naruto's loud mouth, Sasuke felt his anger reaching its acme. Instead of settling it with his fist, he took a deep breath and smirked at a puzzled Naruto.

"You Naruto, are a loser. Why not just mind your own business so that you won't be forever falling behind me?" Falling for his provocation, Naruto's frown deepened into a snarl and he reached for Sasuke's collar. In his haste he tripped on a piece of paper on the floor and fell towards Sasuke, and together they collapsed onto the tiled floor, the brunt of the fall drowned out by the collective appalled gasps. Sakura stood up with so much force that Ino's desk nearly tumbled from her chair's impact.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto! Are you alr-" Sakura's eyes widen and went still, along with the people watching. Naruto's lips were planted neatly on Sasuke's, and they remained that way for three agonising seconds before Sasuke shoved Naruto away from him, gasping for air. Naruto's face turned slightly green and he clutched his throat, looking ready to throw up. Sasuke was busy wiping his somewhat swollen lips furiously with his hand, still seated on the floor and gagging openly. Simultaneously, they turned towards each other.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" They shouted with the kind of unison that would put the cheerleaders' practiced cheers to shame. It was all out thunderstorm in Class 3A-01, in stark contrast to the blazing sunshine filtering through the window.

"Sa…" _There goes my first kiss with Sasuke-kun… _Sakura's disappointment was instantly overshadowed by her bellicose mood as she stormed towards Naruto, her turn to grab his collar.

"Naruto… What was _that_ all about?" She managed with an ill-contained hiss.

"Sakura-chan… "Before Naruto could begin to defend himself, there came a chortle from the doorway. Sakura slowly loosened her grip on Naruto, already feeling her anger slipping and replaced by dread. This was definitely not how she envisioned her day to turn out.

"Good morning class! I'm delighted by your burning energy and enthusiasm – that's what youth is all about, isn't it? Five minutes to change and assemble at parade square, we're taking full advantage of the sunlight!" The class descended into grunts and head shakings, the kissing incident forgotten. This was one class not to be messed with. Sakura could feel her back starting to perspire just _thinking _about P.E.

"Today is going to be a great day, I just know!" Maito Gai affirmed with a sprightly thrust of his thumbs-up.

* * *

"There's been something I've wanting to ask you, but I just can't quite remember what…" Sakura delivered a sideward glance at Ino while doing her overarm stretch, suddenly wary. Ino seemed lost in her own thoughts, and Sakura immediately felt silly. Ino was not a forgetful person in nature, so if it was something important, there was no way she would not have broached the topic by now. Assured, she offered Ino a comforting smile.

"If you can't recall, then I'm sure it's nothing important, ne?"

"I-I guess so…" Ino replied tentatively as she retracted her body back from toe reach, certain that it was something significant to leave a nagging doubt. When the individual warm-ups were settled, Gai signalled the class to form a line behind him, and they began jogging away from the parade square, towards the outer perimeter of the school. Knowing Gai, it was expected to be at least three rounds around the high school _and_ the University, and the scorching weather was no excuse. This would explain the perplexed look across everyone when they slowed to a stop outside Kizuna Swimming Complex. Was there a chance Gai was beaten by the heat?

"Dear class, I know you all are burning with passion along with this beautiful burning weather…"

"More like burnt out…" Ino muttered under her breath, and Naruto was who jogging alongside Sakura and trying to pacify her, nodded his head in fierce agreement.

"… I was once your age too, so I understand what you guys _really _want to do during this weather…" Gai carried on his excessive speech.

"Could he just get to the point already?" Kiba chided without moving his mouth.

"… So we're hitting the waters today! Come on let's go!" Gai announced triumphantly, and the crowd gratefully went with the flow, thankful to be off the hook of the torturous run to complain.

"Ooo that's more like Friday!" Ino cheered and disappeared through the entrance. Sakura was one of the last in queue, and she noticed Sasuke sulking and lingering by the bicycle stand. She was about to ask him what was wrong before realisation dawned upon her like a wet blanket. Of course he would be apprehensive; he just had a near death experience with water and the last thing he wanted now would be to approach it, supervised or not.

Sasuke directed his leave-me-alone glare at whoever was standing in front of him, and realising it was Sakura, he heaved a defeated sigh. The whole morning had given him sufficient time to prepare and to patronise her with an I-am-fine speech.

"Look, Sakura, I'm-"

"Wanna ditch PE and go somewhere?" Sakura interrupted, her jade eyes scintillating under the late morning sun. Though Sasuke appeared nonplussed, he was taken aback by her words. She might be the first person today who did not enquire about his well-being. He gazed sceptically at her.

"Where do you want to go?" Sakura did not expect him to play along with her idea, and failed to plan ahead of the possible places to crash. She settled on the first suggestion that came to mind.

"I don't know, maybe out of this school?"

"Alright." _Sweet_! Sakura's smile could not go any wider.

* * *

Taking the chance when the guards switched for the afternoon shift, they sneaked out of the compound and scurried along the axis of the walkway. When the gate went out of sight, they reduced their panicky pace and released the breath they were unaware they were holding. Sakura stole a peek at the boy beside her and had to smother the rising giggle before it escaped and risked Sasuke changing his mind. She could not believe her luck; she just scored a date with Kanae Sasuke, and it was during school curriculum! It was the kind of intrepidity that she only dreamt of and witnessed in dramas. Any moment the delicate bubble could shatter and returned her to reality.

"Are you sure about this, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked as the adrenaline dissipated, unconvinced of this impromptu date.

"We're already out, aren't we? So let's just keep walking," Sasuke answered, and Sakura knew she was not dreaming then. For the first few minutes, they dawdled along the deserted walkway, cooling down from the earlier jog underneath the generous shade of the trees. Sakura felt something vibrating in her pocket and flashed out the source – five missed calls from Ino, another three demanding her whereabouts, and one from Hinata informing her that her absence had been reported as 'woman troubles,' and telling her to reply soon.

Sakura had no idea Hinata brought her phone to P.E.; she was under the impression that she had no interest in meddling with gadgets since she grew up under a stringent traditional household which discouraged its frequent use.

With the speed of a seasoned hand (despite her infrequent usage), she thanked Hinata and told her she would explain everything later, and a vague reply to Ino that she was not feeling well. Ino responded in less than ten seconds.

"_NOT BUYING. BETTA XPLAIN LTR OR ELSE._" Sakura snorted at the virtual threat, despite the smile snaking across her face. Slipping her phone back, she found Sasuke's eyes on hers.

"Sorry, the girls were quite worried that I just MIA on them," Sakura offered apologetically, hoping he was not under the impression that she was lacking interest in his company.

"Where are we going?" Sasuke replied instead. He had on an unreadable expression, and Sakura was wobbling between anxiety and hesitation. She skimmed their surroundings for inspirations. Locking eye to eye, she flashed an enigmatic grin.

"Follow me." Picking up speed, she manoeuvred them towards the woods beside their school and traced an uphill path familiar to only a few. Soon the landscape segued into rolling green hills, overlooking the city and located a few hundred meters away from Kizuna University. They could only make out the roofs of their high school from the hilltop.

"How did you find this place?" Sasuke asked as he surveyed their surroundings, clearly impressed. Sakura puffed her chest and without answering him, tugged him towards a massing of trees to the side of the hill. Squatting down, she groped around in the gap between the buttress roots and pulled out a blue and white checked picnic mat, then spread it out beside the aging tree.

Next, she felt around the hole again and fished out two packets of white chrysanthemum drink, tossing them at a mildly surprised Sasuke, who had been regarding her with masked fascination. She trotted towards the mat and sat down, patting invitingly next to her while smiling at Sasuke. Obligingly, he sank down, astounded by the coolness from the shade. Pulling his hand back to use as support, he breathed in the salubrious air, and felt his mood improving by tenfold.

"You seemed so stressed this morning, I was worried." Sasuke pried open his eyes and cocked his head towards Sakura, who was sipping her tea with demure.

"I'm just pissed off by Naruto," Sasuke grumbled, and Sakura took delight in his candidness.

"Sasuke-kun, do you remember, what happened yesterday?" At the reminder of the incident, his body stiffened, and Sakura cringed internally at breaking the peaceful spell. She started to apologise as he let loosed a stream of air.

"I… I was losing my consciousness, and there was nothing around for me to grip on to," He began. "There was this stubborn force dragging me down and… I have never felt so lost, so helpless since…" _Since what_? After momentarily losing himself in his thoughts, he quickly picked up where he left off.

"Before I passed out, I saw- I felt a grip on my wrist. Until now I have no idea whether it was just my imagination or if it really happened. All I remember is the emptiness in my chest and… It sucks," Sasuke finished, and Sakura could not escape detecting the shaking of his clenched fists. She swallowed back her empathy and rested her palm on his knuckles.

She said nothing, and gently stroked his hand with the tip of her smooth thumb, knowing no words could undo the traumatic experience. She recalled the flashback of his still body, redolent of a corpse, wet and pale. Thanks to her training at Konoha Hospital, she was able to retain a miniscule amount of sangfroid and performed CPU on him. It was too close.

She wondered, like Sasuke speculated, if someone really rescued him.

* * *

They decided to ditch the rest of the class in favour of a new Italian pasta café a few streets down. On the way they made small talks about his recent expedition to the Sand, bitched a little about the classes and subjects that would not even be relevant when they eventually entered the working life.

Sakura found herself talking in a slightly higher pitch and laughing louder than usual, the typical signs of carrying a torch for someone. Since high school began, the only times she had a one on one time with Sasuke was during one of those rare lunch breaks where Naruto invited her to dine with them, and Naruto leaving to order or visit the Men's. Even then, there was nothing much to talk about and Sasuke was obviously not one for small talks. The only stunning thing she managed to find out about him (much shout out to Naruto) was his predilection to cats. It went something like this:

"So… Sasuke-kun, what do you like?" Sakura prodded, squealing internally at the long awaited one-to-one moment with her crush. Who knew, the planets might align in her favour and "I like you" might just pop out from his mouth.

"…"

"I like you!" Naruto chimed in as he slotted in opposite them, declaring an end to her intimate session. Sakura rolled her eyes at his bad timing and bad line, but her heart pounded in impatience and anticipation.

"There's really nothing much that I like… Let's just say there are more things to dislike in this world…" Sasuke responded as a matter-of-factly, feeling the potential confession dissolving along with the wide grin on her face. Naruto scowled through mouthfuls of his bento.

"Fu are fou fooling! Wakura-chwan, I know what he likes! It's-"Naruto's revelation was cut short by Sasuke's uncharacteristic show of violence – he shoved his palm at his face, with grains of rice falling on his hands. Now Sakura was even curious.

"Who told you to stick your ass in other people's business? Just eat your food!" Sasuke rebuked, not escaping Sakura's eyes that he was shielding his face from her. Finally, Naruto pried off his hands from him.

"Bah! Sasuke likes cats! He loooooooves cats! He gets so soft with cats that he would rather get hit by a car than leave one on the road!" Naruto announced victoriously, while the defeated Sasuke settled down with his trademark "Hnn." Since he did not deny, Sakura decided to take Naruto's word for it. She also noticed tints of pink on his cheeks; was he blushing?

No, Sasuke did not do blush; it must be from the heat, Sakura concluded as she shook her head off the silly notion.

She beamed at the memory.

"What's so funny?" Sasuke in the present asked, startling her.

"Just… I'm having a great time with you and I'm feeling happy?" Sakura answered smoothly, gauging his reaction through her peripheral vision. He nodded and glanced ahead, his expression undecipherable. _Sasuke-kun is so hard to read_. They reached a small road lined with shop-houses, and headed towards the new café. Since it was still early, there were only a few people in the vicinity, to the liking of Sakura. _The planets are definitely aligned for me! Shannaro!_

"Sakura? What are you doing here?" Sakura froze at the strangely familiar voice, slowly turning to the direction of the source. By the road ensconced on one of the steel chairs, was a scarlet baby-doll guy, with unblinking feline eyes staring at her inquisitively.

"Oh! Sasori-san? What are you doing here?" Recognising it was her beloved senior, she loosened up her tensed shoulders and smiled warmly at him.

"Tsk, ignoring me and throwing back my question, asking for a death warrant, Sakura?" Sasori replied with malice, but his eyes were sparkling.

"Hai hai, my bad, Sasori-san. I… I er, came here for lunch?" Even though she was not lying, she felt sweat forming on her palms, and she self-consciously wiped them against her P.E. shorts. Sasori's sharp eyes caught her fidgety movement and took in her attire. He diverted his eyes to his watch, before raising an eye brow at her.

"Sakura, let's go," Sasuke, who had been lurking by the side spoke up suddenly, and dragged her away from the now smirking Sasori, into the café before she could vindicate herself of skipping classes with a guy.

After they ordered from the menu which they could understand nothing, Sasuke lowered his body and leaned in slightly towards Sakura.

"Who's that guy?" He enquired in a low voice.

"He's Sasori, a third year student from Kizuna University," Sakura answered automatically.

"I mean, how did you know him?" _Is he jealous_?

"I… He… He kind of saved me when I needed help, but we aren't really that close or anything," Sakura clarified quickly. Sasuke knew there was more than she was letting on, but kept his doubts sealed, his suspicious eyes trained on Sasori outside the café.

"Can't pin him as a benevolent type; those eyes give me the creeps," Sasuke confessed, frowning at the bottle of beer in his hand. Sakura spiralled around to look at him, and sensing multiple eyes on him, Sasori's eyes darted up, delivering a curt wave at them.

"He's not that bad, just reserved and slightly anti-social," _Kind of like you_, Sakura wanted to add, but resisted at the last moment.

"Hnn, don't get too close to him, Sakura," Sasuke advised, and Sakura felt her insides melting.

"Anything you say, Sasuke-kun." Somehow, the more she talked to Sasuke, the less she could figure him out. One moment he was all cold and detached, and the next he was acting the protective boyfriend. Was he honestly concerned about her or was it simply a passing remark?

When they were done with their satisfying meal and got up to leave, Sasori was already gone. It was then that Sakura realised that he himself skipped class, yet only she was getting the third degree. She was going to confront him about today in the future (without Sasuke knowing, of course).

"So, what do we do now?" Sakura asked.

"It would be too obvious if we head back to class now, and anyway the last class is Biology so we probably wouldn't miss much…" Sasuke analysed, and Sakura had to agree with him – knowing Jiraya-sensei, the lesson would either be scraped off as a self-reading session or a lecture with lots of inappropriate anatomy references, ending with a class of fidgeting students.

"You're right. Then I guess let's go home. I want to change out of this attire; it's sticking to my body," Sakura professed, astounded by how ingenuous she was behaving around Sasuke, despite his unreadable nature. This was the first time they really talked, and it was evident that Sasuke was capable of emotion beyond sulking, though she was still uncertain of his feelings towards her. Sasuke nodded his approval.

"Let me send you home." _Send me home? I wouldn't mind if it was just for the length to the café's entrance_!

"Shit…" At his expletive, Sakura got a jolt from her musing, before realisation sank in like a sack of rice.

"Sasuke-kun! We didn't…"

"Bring any cash, how careless of us." Disgruntled but yet to be disheartened, Sasuke took out his phone and sped dialled.

"Nii-san, it's me. I'm at San Atonio's Café and I didn't bring any cash with me, can you come down and settle the bill for me?" There was a heart-stopping pause, before he continued.

"Someone mistook my bag for his or hers and this someone's wallet is missing, so… Yes, yes, alright see you." Snapping his phone shut, he gestured for them to sit down.

"It- Your aniki is coming to pick up the bill?" At his nod of confirmation, Sakura felt her heartbeat escalating, and she swallowed in presentiment. She glanced down at her gruesome and unflattering attire, instantly overcome with trepidation.

"O-oh yea, w-what about our bags? They're still in the classroom…" Sakura pointed out weakly, in an attempt to distract herself from Itachi's pending arrival.

"I'll give that bum a ring." After a laconic and frustrating phone call with Naruto, which involved Sasuke reporting "I'll tell you next time" on a loop, their bag issue was settled with Naruto and Ino becoming the caretaker of their respective bags for the day. Since there was no homework, the arrangement was feasible.

Sakura's phone vibrated five minutes after Sasuke ended his phone call.

_UR SO DEAD IF U DON GIV M A GD XPLANATION._

_MEET ME MY GRANDMA'S HOUSE 7._

_LATE N U CAN SAY GD BYE 2 UR BAG, LUV YA._

* * *

The ride home was uneventful, and it felt strange to see the brothers behaving so distant after their passionate display of affection the other day at the school gate. She surmised it might be the presence of an outsider. However, this did not dismiss Sakura's titillation of invariably checking out the convertible's rear-view mirror to ascertain that the driver was indeed, Kanae Itachi. When Sasuke suggested sending her home, and Itachi agreeing to drive her, she wanted to hug the brothers so badly, but exercised her filthy self-control and overrated dignity to a trembling grin of gratitude, in disbelief of her inconceivable luck.

To preserve her image in front of Sasuke, and to leave a good impression to her idol, she refrained from showing any signs of idolisation towards Itachi on the entire trip home. The autograph and selfie would have to wait.

When they skidded to a halt in front of Haruna Residence's guard house, Sakura relayed her succinct thank-you speech to Kanae Itachi, unwilling to start and to end their first conversation with a measly 'Thanks.' Itachi did not disappoint her, greeting her with his decorous conduct and humble farewell, elevating her admiration for him at least ten notches. Sasuke followed her down.

"T-Thank you for sending me home, Sasuke-kun, you didn't have to," Sakura started, suddenly coy at ending their day together.

"It wasn't me, it's my brother who's doing the deed," Sasuke replied begrudgingly, and Sakura could not control the giggle at his sulky expression. So he was upstaged by his impressive Brother.

"Hey, you accompanied me throughout the day, surely that counts for something?" Sakura wheedled, not wanting them to sour their relationship because of her.

"Right, take care, Sakura." Without a wave, he swivelled around, hopped onto Itachi's car and it whizzed off around the bend of the fairly deserted road. She felt slightly chest-fallen at his sudden cold treatment, but remembered her words to Sasuke earlier and bucked up.

"Surely this afternoon meant something to you, right, Sasuke-kun?" She pondered out loud.

* * *

"Sakura, where's your bag?" She flinched, but quickly recovered as an excuse struck her.

"It's with Ino; she offered to fix the faulty zip of the main compartment." She flashed a smile at him before going into her room to prepare for her shower.

"I see." Itachi was standing by the door of her bedroom, and they began a staring contest. Sakura was the first to break the eye contact.

"Oh right! I forgot to buy your lunch! Let me go get-"

"It's okay Sakura, I have already eaten," Itachi cut in, startling Sakura, "And I assumed you have too?"

"Oh, yes, I did, with my classmate," Sakura added, amazed by her ability to lie without batting her eyelashes. Needless to say, it did not escape Itachi's attention that she said 'classmate' instead of 'the girls'.

After her shower, she decided to have a high tea session with Itachi, and unwrapped a premium box of Japanese green tea that Itachi brought home just now.

"You said the shop lady _gave _it to you, for free?" Sakura did not mean to sound cynical, but when something seemed too good to be true… Did he even know the price of this particular green tea brand?

"Yes, is there a problem?" Itachi was under the impression that it was just an advertising gimmick, a tactic where they tricked consumers to buy something unnecessary or over-priced with free gifts.

"You only ordered a plate of cha soba, are you sure she didn't give the wrong person?" Sakura pressed on, as she poured the heated flask of water into the ceramic cups holding the teabags in question.

"Yes, Sakura…" The last instance he had been bombarded with questions was during his final battle with Sasuke, and even then he was trying his best to maintain his patience and conveyed everything to his feisty brother.

Sakura was positive that the green tea was a token of appreciation of Itachi's allure; not that he would buy her reasoning, as picking up signs was just not in him. Handing him the superior tea, she sat down opposite him and watched him sipped delicately at the beverage.

Sakura was unable to hold her curiosity any longer, and decided to pop the question.

"So what do you do when you're alone, other than reading those books?" Itachi paused and flicked his eyes towards her. He could not exactly admit that he had been tailing her and Sasuke, or the other time when he found them entering Yonder Forest with Naruto. He figured to settle for a compromised truth.

"I would be training, either in the forest or on the roof top." Her eyes widened at the unexpected information.

"What? How did you even get an access to the roof top? And are you sure it's safe to liberally use… Chakra here?" Sakura could not curt her fear of someone discovering his otherworldly abilities.

"I would be able to detect anyone coming within a fifty meter radius of my location, and that would grant me enough time to mask my presence and any evidence of recent activity," Itachi assured her, and Sakura felt silly that she had just doubted the most tactful person she might have met in her life.

"You're right, I'm sorry for my accusatory tone, I-Itachi." Sakura's stammer did not escape Itachi's advertent eyes, and his eye brows curved into a slight frown.

"Is anything wrong, Sakura?" He asked as she lowered her head and gingerly sipped at her tea.

"I just felt bad for leaving you alone at home… I mean, I can't imagine myself in your shoes – being thrown into a world with no one who knew you!" Sakura admitted, and continued, "I can't say that I gladly took you in, because trust me, I wasn't given much choice…" She detected a slight wince on Itachi's face at the mention of their initial meeting, and felt oddly pleased.

"But! You know what, Itachi? I _am _glad to have met you, to keep you company till you found your way home. Till then, my house is your house, remember that," Sakura concluded, gripped by blithe realising that she meant everything she said. Itachi returned with one of his scarce minuscule smile, his eyes speaking of gratitude and a lingering despondence that Sakura could not figure out.

"Oh yes, I have already got someone to prepare the necessary documents for your admission to the University? So soon we would be able to go to school together!" Sakura side-tracked, hating the brooding look on him of being reminded that he did not belong here.

"Is that so? Thank you, Sakura, it must have been troublesome for you," Itachi remarked, though part of him suddenly had reservations of his decision to begin a life here. However, with the knowledge that someone who resembled Sasuke existed in this timeline, and even coming into contact with him, he was piqued with interest by the future version of his brother. For instance, did he also have an older brother; perhaps someone much more qualified than himself?

"… As a repayment, I will have to cover for his shifts for the following week on top of my own shifts, so I would be away most of the time, is that okay, Itachi?" Sakura confessed, and Itachi duly nodded, despite missing out on her earlier words.

"To your new life!" Sakura raised her cup and cheered as their cups clinked.

"To my new life," Itachi added, meaningfully.

* * *

Knocking lightly on the door, Sakura braced herself as the approaching footsteps grew louder before it turned into sound of the door unlocking, revealing a smiling Ino.

"Hey! You're here, come on in, dinner is just ready. Mas, Sakura's here!" Ino shouted into house, using their favourite moniker for her grandmother, before pulling Sakura into the apartment. It has the same layout as hers, but unlike her minimalist approach, over here it challenged her resolve of a clean and conservative concept.

The two sides of the wall were painted absinthe green, and within it were an assortment of couches and armchairs, along with an array of wooden cabinets and glass coffee tables with distinctive prints. On top of each of them held lavish pieces of relics.

"The green helps my eyesight," Ino's grandma elaborated once when she enquired about her choice of wall colour. Befittingly, the house smelt of musk and burning scent, and despite the cosy interior, it would always feel like she just entered a fortune teller's room, with answers to her future revealed in seconds. Her Grandmother was once an antique collector, travelling all over the world to bag and snag Asian furniture and ornaments.

Sailing passed a matching green sofa, they sank down onto the cushioned chairs by the white kitchen island, where three steaming plates of carbonara with a sunny side-up sat. Sakura blinked, puzzled by the Western dish. As far as her hobby went, her Grandma favoured local over "rubbish foods outside."

"Good Evening, Mas! So you've finally come to terms with Western food?" Sakura joked while restraining herself from diving into the tantalising pasta. 'Elders first,' was the unspoken rule in the household.

"Aye, Sakura-chan. Our Ino baby begged and cried that she wanted to eat this, and since she offered to help with the chores and prepare this dish, I can't say no, eh?" Mas explained and beamed at Ino, but she was making some weird faces back to her.

"Ino, something got into your eye?" Sakura leaned forward for a better view, before she brusquely cut her off with a wave and an awkward smile.

"I'm sure you'll find this dish to your liking, ne Sakura?"

"Well, of course! Nothing beats Mas' cooking. Though it's funny why you had a sudden craving today… And did you seriously play a part in preparing this?"

"Why? Did you just eat pasta recently?" Ino asked sweetly while evading her question. She only managed to get the penne out of the packaging, transferred it onto the pan before she grew blasé and went to fiddle with her phone in the living room. Sakura's fork suspended mid-way to her mouth, before she carried on.

"This is good stuff! You should make this more often Mas." Mas grunted a non-committal reply, and anyone could tell she had taken a fancy to the "rubbish foods" she wholeheartedly claimed to detest. When Ino's words went unnoticed, she thought to herself, _two can play the game_.

"So Sakura, did you know that this afternoon, Sasuke-kun also went MIA? Had Shikamaru not jump in in time with a lame fib about stomach ache, Gai-sensei would be on the brink to summoning a search party!" Ino apprised Sakura, causing her to choke on her bacon.

"Careful, girl, come take some of this barley, it'll help." Nodding her thanks amidst the burning sensation from the coughing, she gulped down the warm home-made barley, feeling fleetingly better.

"I-Is it? That's so not him, t-to skip class that is." Sakura kept her eye away from Ino's penetrating stare, iffy of what to say next.

"Where do you think he went, Sakura? The last time Shikamaru checked, he's definitely not in the Sick bay," Ino drawled on, her keen eye never once leaving her face. Mas casted a slanted eye at the girls, wondering what all the debate was all about. Back in her prime, she used to be the topic of discussion, and not necessarily for the wrong instances. It was one of the reasons why she insisted on dinner with them at least once a week – to not just spend quality time with her granddaughter but also to relish in her fading past, before it all reduced into a hazy blur.

"Is this Sasuke dude someone you like, Sakura-chan? Can I see a picture, Ino baby?" This time, she managed to swallow her food before she made a spectacle of herself again.

"H-He's just a classmate, Mas! Besides, we hardly talk, not even sure if he sees me as his friend…" Sakura asserted, despising the wild guesses she had to fill in to complete the Sasuke crossword.

"Mas, it's this, last row, second one from the left." Ino never failed to boggle Sakura's mind as she passed the last year's yearbook to Mas. Who kept a spare of yearbook at your Grandma's house, and when did she dug that out?

"Hmmm, quite a feast for the eye eh, Sakura-chan?" Sakura blushed, before Mas continued, "He has troubled eyes, looks like he's more than what meets the eye," Mas concluded with Ino nodding away.

"Mas, since when are you a fortune-teller?"

"Let's just say I'm a tad sensitive when it comes to reading _boys_," Mas winked seductively at the girls. While Ino feigned a throwing up motion, Sakura cackled away, grateful for the limelight timeout. She did not want to gabble on about someone who might not even end up in contact a year from now. She was that pessimistic, especially after how Sasuke blew a hot and cold at her just now.

"Go dig out more, you'll be surprised by what you're going to learn, Sakura-chan," Mas pushed on when Sakura remained silent. She ate in wonderment at what could be shocking news about Sasuke that she had yet to uncover.

* * *

"I don't think this is a good idea."

"Rubbish! You know I _always _give the best ideas," Ino boasted.

"But… Don't you want to accompany Mas? I mean, that's the whole point of this gathering yea?" Sakura reasoned, hoping to instil some last minute guilt for abandoning Mas.

"What's the problem, Sakura? Don't tell me you are hiding some hot guy in your house and you don't want to let me see!" Ino bantered while elbowing her, and she felt like an amateur thief caught pickpocketing. Stranded, she needed to give him a warning before they covered the last stretch along the looming corridor.

"W-What? What are you talking about? How I wish!" Sakura's voice rang like a shrill, leaving a resounding echo along the forlorn path. She noted how Ino was giving her the 'look' but chose to ignore it in favour of retrieving her house keys, emphasising the jiggles and clinking of metal against metal for a good five seconds, before feeling satisfied and proceeded to unlock the door.

"Do you do that every time before you open your door?" Ino asked disbelievingly, and Sakura could picture her raised eyebrows without turning around.

"I was looking for the right key. I'm home!" She announced into the darkness, both out of habit and precaution. Tentatively flicking on the lights, she executed a sweeping glance across the spic and span living room, noting the missing pair of sandals next to her red flip-flops.

"I see your house is as clean as ever; come on let's get into your bedroom!" Ino suggested and manoeuvred her way passed Sakura as though it was her territory before she could stop her.

"Wait-"

"Ahhh, cosy…" Sakura nervously scanned her room. The conspicuous sleeping bag by the bed was out of sight, as were the stack of books Itachi borrowed. The room appeared just the way it was before he came, except for a subtle balmy woody scent which he seemed to have left before leaving. That was the reassuring smell of Itachi, an indication of his presence, even though he was not around now.

_Wait, he can't be hiding under the bed, right?_ Winded with uneasiness, she squatted down and was greeted with a piece of note.

_Sakura_

_I have a sneaking suspicion that you would look under the bed, but in all honesty, did you really think I was planning to hide here? I will find a place to camp out for the night. Have fun._

_I._

"What you doing lying on the floor?" Discreetly tucking his note into her skirt's front pocket, she hastily stood up and dusted herself.

"Oh, you know, just making sure Sasuke's super-secret candid photo album is well-hidden," Sakura replied in a jocular manner, sneaking a roguish smile.

"Right, like you would ever hide it under your bed, or did you really?" Ino's voice hit an octave as she frantically bended down to peek underneath.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Sakura folded her arms as she slouched against her desk, her mind wondered on about Itachi's speedy escape and his whereabouts. Where could one flee to in a moment's notice?

"Sure, can I check out your fridge?" Together they made headway for the kitchen. As Ino pried open the door, she gasped as she grabbed and thrust a bottle of ginjo into Sakura's face.

"Sakura? You drink?"

"It wasn't for me- I mean I bought it for, for Mas but I kept forgetting to pass it to her…" In truth, while she was shopping for groceries the other day, she thought that Itachi was the type into sake (being adult and man and all) and intended the half dozen bottles as a surprise for her tenant.

"Ooo, better not, wouldn't want Mas getting drunk and vomiting all over herself…" Ino mumbled, all the while eyeing avidly at the green bottles in her fridge.

Regrettably, Itachi was _not _an alcohol person.

"You just want them for yourself, Ino." At the blatant tone, Ino pouted pleadingly as she swiped out all the bottles onto the dining table.

"Wait, you can't be serious."

"Relax, despite how I look, I can hold my liquor almost as well as Shikamaru's Dad!" Sakura marvelled at how Shikamaru's Dad got into the picture, but her moment of wonderment was cut off by a 'pop' sound. Pausing after a big gulp, Ino pointed the bottle at her.

"Sit down, you and I have _a lot_ to talk about." Dropping onto the chair opposite Ino, Ino promptly slide a bottle towards her. As she watched Ino soaking in the world of sake, she could not help but to take an involuntary gulp.

"Who were you out with this afternoon?" The interrogation began.

"It wasn't planned, I swear-"

"Who. Were. You. Out. With." Sakura recoiled as she floundered for the best answer.

"I wasn't- I, I was out with Sasuke-kun," She came clean, knowing Ino would see through any attempt of her weak façade.

"Tell me what happened, even parts you think aren't worth mentioning." Taking a generous swig of the fragrant and sweet drink, she duly relayed her unofficial date with Sasuke, and also giving her a verbatim of what he said, hoping Ino could catch on to his muffled thoughts on Sakura.

"I reckon he's interested, even if it's just a slightest bit, but it's there." Sakura's heart soared, but quickly faltered to minimise the fatality in events of her wishful thinking. They continued to mull over where Sasuke's heart laid, and after reaching several roadblocks, the topic shifted to Ino's beau.

"Recently, I talked to him. He misses you too, you know."

"What do you mean, 'too?' What makes you think that I even think about that jerk?" Ino fired back and Sakura sighed – this denying game was starting to turn trite.

"He must have a valid reason for his choice-"

"HE DUMPED ME. Yes, not I but HE, dumped ME! Since when do I become the dumped, huh? Who does he think he is, ending things when everything was going so well… I even thought of _marrying_ that sick ass, how silly of me, huh?" Uncapping the third bottle, she slurped the ginjo hungrily, and Sakura got the impression that ginjo was not the only thing she was swallowing.

She casted a wistful look towards the murky mass of forest outside the window and contemplated over Deidara's perfidy. The only thing stopping her from storming to his slovenly apartment was the inappropriateness of the situation – both were her bosom buddies, and it was impolite to intrude on other's relationship issues, good friend or not.

Taking a causal sip of the sake, she nodded away as Ino rattled on a list of cons of the breakout.

* * *

Summoning a strength she did not know she was capable of, she half-carried and half-dragged Ino into her bedroom and hurled her onto her bed. After clearing up the empty bottles into the recyclables bag, she started towards her room, before remembering to bring along a bucket lined with plastic bag. She wanted to be prepared for the impending day care work tomorrow.

"Dei…" Stroking Ino's hair, she gently spread her freshly laundered blanket over her still heartbroken friend, before retrieving the sleeping bag in the cardboard which Itachi had deposited before he left.

"Good night, Itachi," She said into the darkness and half-hoping that he heard her.

* * *

**This chapter is not only intended as filler but also to shed more light and meaning for later parts of the story, as I needed everyone to see Sakura's relationship and stand with the supporting characters of the story too. I'll take this chance to thank **Mustsleep **for the beautiful motivational words and constructive reviews for **_**each of my chapters**_**; yours words meant worlds to me and once again, let me thank you for your time and thoughts given. I'm working on the upcoming chapters, so faithful readers, do stay by and a big thank you for **_**your**_** relentless support!**


	8. Sorry For Making You Cry (Again)

**Chapter7 Recall:**

There was the impromptu date with Sasuke, dinner with Ino and Grandma and a rambling session between the girls.

* * *

**Chapter8 – Sorry for Making You Cry (Again)**

"I unloaded lots of bull on you yesterday didn't I, Sakura?" Ino mumbled groggily as she attempted to sit up.

"Nah, not really." Nothing new, that was for sure.

"You must have regretted bringing me to your house."

"Nah, not at all." Sakura did not bother to rectify that it was she who insisted on bringing herself to her house.

"I must have look like a mess now… Eew what's that stench?" Fanning the lingering odour in front of her face, she glared at Sakura for an explanation.

"Oh, must be some sewage leakage along the corridor; there was a heavy rain last night," Sakura replied, suddenly concerned about her last statement. As Ino proceeded to freshen up, Sakura swiftly made the bed and made a grab for the lavender air freshener to spritz off any hints of Ino's spew from last night.

Pushing aside the bedroom curtains, she was caressed by the gentle warmth and promise of a pleasurable day. _I hope he found a place with shelter_.

"Hey, you added a new poster! Wow I didn't know he plays the piano," Ino remarked chirpily, referring to the Itachi's limited edition promotional poster for next Tuesday's local concert, as she launched herself onto the freshly made bed.

"Yes! His new album will be a ballad, hence the piano. You will have no idea how amazing and amazingly talented he is until-"

"You see his concerts," Ino chimed along before shaking her head with a soft sigh, "Yes, only you told me a hundred times already. As I mentioned before, I'm not interested in local artists, cutie or not," She concluded as she sent an appreciative glimpse at his modest built, acknowledging his hot-o-meter.

"Well, there are always exceptions, aren't there?"

"Well, even though Dei lives here, he's still from the Sand, so- Wait, why am I even talking about him? Urgh! Damn this hangover." Sakura struggled to mask her smirk as Ino began hitting her forehead.

"Oh yes! I finally remember what I wanted to tell you the other time during P.E.!" Ino exclaimed while bouncing on the bed before she continued, "You are going to be so _excited_ after you hear this – I saw someone who resembled Kanae Itachi, _in your apartment's elevator_! Either he's visiting someone, or he totally _lives here_!" It took a good ten seconds for the news to sink in. Under normal circumstances, this news would blow her mind off, but given the high chance that the Itachi Ino encountered was most likely Mr. Ninja Itachi, any potential ecstasy was replaced by trepidation.

"O-oh, wow, that's big! Why didn't you tell me as soon as you saw him?"

"Initially, I couldn't recognise him; you have any idea how different he looked backstage? At first I was thinking, hey this must be the hottest nerd I have met around town. Then I saw the specs from the poster, and it all clicked – it's him alright." Sakura forced a smile that bordered on awe-struck as she hoped that not many had approached the poor ninja for autographs and photographs since the launch of the poster.

"Lucky you."

"Meh, if you're into the quiet ones. He did not even smile at me! Isn't that one of the basic requirements for a public figure? I like my man to come and go with a bang, not with a brooding look that says he doesn't know where he is now!"

* * *

After persuading Ino that she would give breakfast with Mas a miss, she sent her to the elevator and hugged her farewell.

Throughout the night till the doors of the elevator slammed shut, Sakura deliberated over revealing the truth about Uchiha Itachi; the affliction of being unable to be wholly forthright ate at her. Anyway, there was no suitable way to broach the topic, at least not one that would not either frightened the wits out of her or reduced her into hysterical fit. It was for the best – the fewer in the know, the better.

"Where's Itachi anyway? I hope he's coming back…" The other niggling thought that kept her awoke during the hours of darkness, was him. She would muse on his whereabouts, his safety and his existence in this world, with the retching sound of Ino vomiting accompanying her in the background. She sincerely prayed that he could return to where he came from soon, but was it selfish to ask for an adieu before he did so?

"A selfie would be fine too…"

"What's that?" At the pleasant intrusion of her thoughts, Sakura sprang to the kitchen, where Itachi hopped through the window and landed with a faint thud in front of her.

"Oh! Hey, you're back," Sakura answered awkwardly.

"Were you hoping for this to be permanent?" At his teasing tone, she flinched inwardly at her own welcoming tone.

"No! It was just, there was no way to contact you and Ino left for quite some time already…"

"Well, I was here all along," Itachi clarified, pointing to the woods beside them. Sakura remained thoughtful for a moment, before the thunderstorm came in.

"What? And I assumed you slept on the tree branch since the ground is muddy?" At his confirmation nod, Sakura continued, "Itachi, ninja or not, I believe you are still a human. Aren't you afraid of being electrocuted?" She crossed her arms, head tilted in disbelief. Itachi fixed his gaze at her, absorbed in his musings, before brandishing out his kunai. Shocked, Sakura took an involuntary step back, hands positioned in a karate chop. Yes, this should make him think twice about ambushing her.

"Sakura, put your hands down, I'm not going to hurt you," Itachi elucidated, and if it was not for that nasty weapon, she would have already delivered a hefty kick to wipe those raised brows and smirk off his pretty face.

"No! Y-you put that, that sharp blade-"

"It's called kunai-"

"-Away before I kick you through the open window behind you." Itachi's lips twitched at her pitiful attempt of verbal threat, both of them knowing the off-chance of it occurring was, well, none.

"Sakura, did you know that kunais make good lightning rods? You were asking how I survived the lightning strikes, so I'm trying to explain." At the logical reasoning, she lowered her hands, still wary. Itachi grinned.

"It's good to remain alert at all times, even when it seems that danger is beyond reach. I have no qualms that you will make a fantastic ninja." At his soft tone, an inexplicable emotion gripped at her heart, rendering her of her speech.

"After selecting the tree, or my bed, I planted a kunai at the topmost crown, coiled a copper rod around it which would channel the current towards the second coiled kunai I stuck on the forest ground."

"But even then, it's not completely safe, right?" Sakura whispered, speculating over the what-ifs. Itachi merely stared on, eyes hardening as his inner ninja instinct kicked on full-drive.

"But being a ninja isn't about staying safe, Sakura. It's about staying alive."

* * *

When Sakura was in the shower humming away to Kanae Itachi's all-time favourites "You've Got to Be Kidding Me," Itachi detected a slight tremor on the dining table. It was her phone; curious, he reached across for it. When it shook in protest, he had to resist from dropping the foreign object nestled in his big palms, despite his capability to nullify its existence with a crush from his fist. After a few more false alarms, he was finally accustomed to the periodic ticklish sensation, but found himself releasing an in audible sigh when it finally ceased to vibrate.

Unfortunately, his relief was short-lived as it began to shake again. In his unprecedented panic, he accidentally triggered the switch by the phone rear, which set off its silent mode. The timing could not have been better; Sakura in the shower had just hit the chorus as her ringtone burst out in sync with the lyrics. He had to silent his yelp by releasing the phone.

"Eh, Itachi, is that my phone?" She had to pause and asked such rhetorical question on the off-chance that Mr. Uchiha was actually singing his counterpart's best hits.

"Yes." Well, a girl could always dream. She made a silent vow to teach him one of Kanae's songs, and soon.

"Who is it?" Itachi tentatively peered down at the culprit of his distress, and his earlier state of bungle and undesired attempt of acting clown was instantly of history.

"It says 'Yakushi Kabuto,'" Itachi confirmed, eyebrows forming a deep V at the disturbingly coincidental name; or was this the one and only?

"Oh, help me answer that will you? It's quite important." With no further instructions from the land lady, and with mild interest, he followed the weird instruction on-screen and slided to answer.

"This is Haruno Sakura's phone," Itachi relayed in a monotonous tone.

"Sa- Oh? You must be Itachi-san ne? Nice to meet you, or rather, hear you, since we haven't really met eh?" Kabuto chortled into the mouthpiece in ignorance to an unamused recipient. After a few silently pained seconds, he cleared his throat.

"Right now you must be wondering how I know your name, hmm? Well I'm not sure if Sakura-chan told you before, but I'm the one she approached with regards to... Easing you into this society." Back at his Konoha, Itachi knew that Kabuto was Orochimaru's best henchman, and like his role model, was capable of any means for results. Deception - be it lying, counterfeit or a tailored personality, were child's play to him, so it was hardly a surprise to learn that his reincarnation was meddling in his precursor's legacy of shady businesses.

"What do you want," Itachi wasted no time with pleasantries.

"I'm calling to inform Sakura-chan that the documents she requested are ready, and wanted to know if she wants to meet today, Itachi-san," Kabuto added, just to test his patience.

"Alright, I'll let her know. And I would prefer you address me by my first name, since like you mentioned, we haven't even met." Even though he was not well-acquainted with Kabuto from either worlds, his hunch told him they were not becoming friends anytime soon.

"Thank you, Ita- Uchiha-san. I find it really intriguing that you bear the declined Uchiha clan's surname. Was it mere coincidence or are you by any chance, a survivor?" To an untrained ear, it would sound like Kabuto was engaging Itachi in a harmless small talk, but Itachi could recognize the probing tone with an underlying intention anywhere, even across the Universe.

"I'm sure you have heard from Sakura that I came from the rural, and am in no way affiliated with Konoha." His trenchant tone was unmistakable for the end of their not-so-successful conversation, and Kabuto was more than glad to do the deed.

"Ahh... Well do tell her to text me, and I'll get back to her as soon as I have my signal again."

* * *

Sakura was struggling to make out his words but despite skipping on her song and resorting to leaning against the bathroom door, Itachi's voice remained muted against the redundant insulation of the door.

Putting on clothes as fast as a stripper would do otherwise, she sashayed out of the bathroom, dripping wet and pretending to appear bored.

So, what did he say?" She watched him put down her phone as she piled her tresses into a bun with her towel.

"He told you that the documents are ready, and to text him back about the rendezvous place," Itachi answered, feeling this dialogue vaguely reminiscent of his early days after mission, where he needed to report his findings to either Danzo or his Father. Since his unofficial enlistment as a double-agent, he quickly learnt to reshuffle the information in mind and pieced them into separate recounts that would satisfy both parties on the flagging trip back to his village.

In a way, he was always performing double the job with triple expectations, excluding no rooms for failure and absolute fidelity to the respective organizations. There was no way to fathom the morale values that were eating at him, constantly nagging at the hypocrite he was. There was also no one appropriate to confide in, since he hardly had any friends and came from a family of ninjas with firm regulations. It was an unspoken rule that 'A mission is a mission.'

Itachi grew up hanging on to that maxim and understood it, and was in no position to question that, even though he did doubt that inflexible resolve occasionally. He quickly suppressed these insignificant memories to the back of his consciousness before it clouded his current train of thoughts.

"Oh, that's fast!" Sakura exclaimed, before descending into a staring contest with him that was beginning to grow common between them. Feeling smug, Sakura broke the deafening silence.

"Itachi, do you even know what 'to text' means?" She wondered if they employed pigeons to deliver a message. So many things could happen along the delivery - unpredictable downpours, pigeons shot down by hunters, pigeons getting _lost_…

"If he isn't expecting a call, then he might be expecting you to leave a message," he replied instead. Sakura pulsed her lips, feeling indignant to be defeated by an old uncle who was well over his hundreds, albeit remaining in top form. Grabbing her phone, she composed a speedy reply to meet in the evening at Mushi Mushi Sushi Bar, where it would be dimly lit and less conspicuous.

"Is he a good friend of yours?" Sakura glanced up from her phone, unprepared for the question. Was he making small talks with her?

"Hmmm, I don't think so. We're more of amicable colleagues than confide-in-me buddies since I knew him through Konoha Hospital? Why do you ask?"

"Believe it or not, there was someone who bears the same name as him in my world, and in your modern day context, he would be classified as an outlaw," Itachi offered, hoping to instil some sense of chary against that man.

"Well, in our case, he's hardly a bad guy since you'll have him to thank for your brand new identity here!" She was buzzing with such certainty and trust that was going against his instincts to do anything but.

"Will it be dangerous? Maybe I should come along-"

"No silly! We're meeting at a public space and besides, I trust our police force's patrol units." The unmistakable pride and faith in her voice resonated at his heart, and he decided to give in to her. However, her last sentence piqued another point of interest for him.

The police force," Sakura was still grinning as he continued, "Is the police force still under U- Kanae's supervision and management?" She returned him a quizzical look as she considered her response.

"Well yes… Why? Don't tell me you are interested in joining the police force?" She was so caught off guard by his randomness that she failed to notice his implications.

"I might, considering my history with them back at my world."

* * *

"History? You mean you were part of Konoha's early day's police force?" That was news for Sakura; she could not imagine how he would look in the policeman attire wielding a handcuff. But who was she kidding? Why anyone would need handcuffs when you could use _ninjutsu_, or when you were called Uchiha Itachi?

"Not exactly, but my clan was put in-charge of our Konoha's Military Police Force and it used to be mainly comprised of the Uchihas," Itachi explained. _That was, before I killed them all_.

"I see! That's why your clan's symbol is part of the police force's logo right? Such honour!" She felt doltish for not making the connection earlier, but mirth nonetheless. Not only was he an outstanding ninja, but also a guardian of the village!

"On the surface, it is a venerable title, a privilege even. However, what we did was simply to spy on the villagers to maintain internal security and eliminate threats, be it friend or foe," He reinforced as a matter-of-factly, forever the humble pie.

"Well, that still says something about your clan! The Hokage, the head was called Hokage right? For him to entrust a critical aspect like security - man, I have no idea the Uchihas were such a big shot!" While Sakura was regaling in the knowledge, Itachi was struggling to make clear of what she just said. _The modern slang was a lot harder to decipher than the contents of the monument in Naka Shrine_. Sometimes he considered activating his Sharingan just to process her words better ant not appear like a fuddy-duddy old man.

"Unfortunately, Sakura, not everyone feels the same way. Uchiha Madara, a deranged ancestor whom I'm mildly acquainted with, was certain it was the village's method of isolating us from participating in Konoha's governance. He eventually rebelled and attempted to destroy Konoha." Never in the world could he foretell that he would be doing so much storytelling, and in a row, albeit this being the truncate version (in comparison to the one he told Sasuke).

"What? Why would someone from our village do that? And why aren't these recorded in the history? I certainly won't be sleeping through these!" Sakura railed as she slammed her palms against the glass table, her brain addled. The sober and functioning side of it was reminding her to stop acting uncouthly. _I'm beginning to sound like Ino, and that's bad_!

"The time of the shinobi is very different, and not even I can comprehend every aspect of it. People like Madara, with strong beliefs but were not heard or agreed with, tended to resort to extremities, even if it means destroying everything they built, including their only home."

"That's… That's tragic, Itachi. So was he apprehended, or killed?" Sakura's voice dropped into a hushed whisper at comprehending the brutality of his era, where killing and being killed were nothing but a norm.

"To my knowledge, he's still alive, out somewhere plotting his revenge, baiting for the right time."

Boy, never did Sakura feel so much gratitude for being born into this era. She was going to stop lamenting over closet perverts and surveillance cameras; at least there would be an indisputable evident over her cause of death, she regarded resolutely.

* * *

After abandoning Itachi for the past few days, Sakura figured today was the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with this very unique guest. As she headed to the bedroom to find him, she could hear the faint sliding and clinking of metal.

"Hey, Itachi, where are you going?" It was weird seeing him getting all ready to set off somewhere, without inviting her. She felt strangely left out.

"Training. I'll be back in two hours," Itachi announced as he exited the room, moving towards the kitchen.

"At the forest?"

"I'll be on the rooftop for now. I might head over to the woods later on. I'll still be within reach should you need me." With an uncertain nod, she was left standing in the living room as she observed her handsome tenant causally leaping onto the window ledge and in a flash he was out of sight. She sprinted towards the window and strained her head and body for a sight of his ponytail, but was greeted with a gust of wind and sunshine. _Wow, ninjas are seriously no joke_.

"Looking for me?" A male voice came from behind. In her shock, she overestimated her body's leverage on the window sill and fell forward, her eyes widening at the generous view with the wall sheltering her from the outside world missing.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" The moment her hand slipped from the sill, she knew it was over. Suddenly, she felt something gripped her left leg, and the falling sensation she anticipated never came. Still, she was inverted; her head was pointed downwards to the back garden, and the adrenaline and blood rushing to her head made her felt like she was viewing the world through frosted glass.

"I've got you, Sakura," Called Itachi from her apartment. When her vision became clear, she hastily shielded her eyes with her shaky palms.

"No no no…"

"I'm pulling you up now." Inch by inch, he lifted her up along the façade of the building, grasping his other hand against the wall to avoid a double free fall. Once her feet were levelled with the window ledge, he carefully tugged them towards him, guiding them to the kitchen floor.

"D-don't let go, p-please!" This was the second time he had heard her voice shook in tremor, and he was the cause of both instances. Overcome with self-reproach, he made a mental pact with himself. _I won't, not if want me to_.

When both feet made contact with the ground, he held her waist and steered her body up and away from over the edge, then deftly slide and locked the safety panel in place. Sakura felt her legs went jelly and collapsed onto the floor, not quite digesting what just happened.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Itachi was genuinely concerned as he crutched down in front of her lacklustre face. Her blank eyes crept up and met his, as a single drop of tear glided down her cheek, betraying her still composure.

"Oh my god, Itachi, you saved my life," Sakura spoke under her breath, and before Itachi could register her words, he was assaulted by her fierce grip around his lean frame. Overwhelmed by the sudden force, Itachi lost his balance and they toppled onto the floor. They remained lying body to body as he listened to the quiet sobs from the fragile being snuggled on top of him, ambivalent of his next course of action. _Should I comfort her? Or would it be too rude of me to engage in any more unnecessary body contact_?

"T-Thank you, I-Itachi." His hand twitched before he finally gave in to the former and tenderly stroked her back to calm her nerves.

Itachi had no idea she was not referring to the earlier incident, but the act of allowing her to lie against him, keeping quiet and keeping her safe.

* * *

"So, why are you still in the house? I'm sure I saw you leaping out of the window," Sakura began after wiping off her snot and tears.

"Technically, yes. But, that was my actual body; I was here all along," He answered as though everything made perfect sense.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I lost you at the body reference?" Was this one of the _genjutsu _he mentioned of?

"To put it simply, I'm a shadow clone, a solid replicate of the actual person," Itachi's clone repeated, and Sakura's face instantly lit up in recognition.

"Oh! Is this similar to the one you created using water?"

"Yes, but a shadow clone like me is stronger than a water clone, as the user's chakra is divided evenly to the number of shadow clones created. Whereas for a water clone, it only bears one-tenth of the user's power, so your punch wouldn't work this time," Itachi hinted, to Sakura's displeasure.

"Right… And when were you created?" Sakura did not recall witnessing him duplicated himself, but this was Itachi she was talking about.

"I was created before my original left your bedroom. I was instructed to stay in the room until he left to avoid overwhelming you," the clone confessed, though it was evident to both parties that the plan clearly backfired.

"I-I see. Oh, so that was what he meant by _within reach_. What a 'ninjalic' way of doing so…" She mumbled under her breath, causing the clone to raise his brow in fascination. As the earlier fiasco subsided, he headed for the couch and ensconced himself onto the leather, both hands outstretched along its backrest. Sakura frowned at the scene.

"Why are you standing around? Come over and sit. It's going to be a while before he'll back anyway," The clone shrugged as he leaned back and shut his eyes while she watched on, unable to abandon the queer feeling in her chest.

"Are you really his clone? You seemed a bit, _off_," She blurted out, chary to sit next to this foreign being, despite the disturbing stark resemblance to Uchiha Itachi. The clone peeled opened his eyes, fanning and directing his impressive set of thick lashes at her.

"Even though I'm just a clone, I'm still a part of him, you know. If you think I'm odd, then perhaps you don't know as much as you think you know about Itachi." _Is he giving me an epiphany? Who does he think he is_!

"Listen, you clone, I'm just saying I have never seen Itachi behaving so... _Carefree _around the apartment, and since you are him, it just doesn't adds up," Sakura crossed her arms and when the clone burst out laughing, she narrowed her eyes at the ludicrous scene.

"Listen, _Sakura_," Sakura felt a shiver escalated through her body at the tone, "Although I'll eventually join back with him, I'm now a separate entity, an individual body capable of emotions and hurt." To demonstrate his point, he flourished his kunai and with a swift swish, a streak of red appeared on his inner wrist as dark, warm blood began rolling down his arm.

"Itachi! What did you do?" Containing her gasp, she dashed to the kitchen cabinet to retrieve a first-aid kit and pulled out an antiseptic. She began the routine of cleansing the wound as she resumed admonishing his abnormal impetuousness.

"Ho, so you finally acknowledged me as Itachi huh? And all it took was just a slash." Sakura gritted her teeth in an ill-quelled anger as he smirked down at her while admiring her neat handiwork.

"Don't push your luck, pony fiend. The next time I'm gonna just leave you to bleed to death," Sakura forewarned, not releasing his wrist without delivering a firm squeeze, strong enough to force out a wince from his straight face.

"You wouldn't let that happen to me; after all, it's this intrinsic quality of yours that drew him to you in the first place."

* * *

Exactly two hours later, the real Itachi joined the duo in the living room who was engaged in a staring contest, though the atmosphere was a little tenser than their usual intent to outstare. As his chakra reserve was considerably lower from splitting half to his shadow clone, he could not perform as many ninjutsu and trained as long to complement with his mediocre stamina. He noticed a white glow a few centimetres ahead of them, emitting from a flat black panel.

"And the winner for this week's Best Photograph goes to… Electra," Came a posh voice from the black panel. It was immediately accompanied by Sakura cursing softly and a victory grin from his clone. It had been very long since he saw himself smiling so freely.

"I can't believe this…" As Sakura channelled her attention back on screen, the clone twisted his head to greet his oncoming original, and with an affirmative nod, vanished with a poof.

"Me neither."

"Oh! Itachi you're back! How was your training?"

"How are you so certain I'm not the clone?" He answered her question with another question, hoping to bait for time. In actuality, he was trying to make sense of the two hours he missed based on his replica's experience. She turned to the ceiling as she mulled over his question.

"Your eyes look different. And I'm not talking about your sore eye," Sakura jokingly pointed out. Itachi was prudent to ensure he deactivated his Mangekyo Sharingan before entering the apartment, so when she was met with a blank stare, she sighed and took out her phone.

"Here, see for yourself." Extracting the phone from her outstretched hand, he dropped his eyes onto the screen and was met with himself…? The image of him had an inverted Sharingan colour palette, with black pupils and irises and a pinkish-red sclera. As he blinked in confusion, so did the image.

"My eyes… They're still not fully healed," Itachi declared pensively to himself. This was his first attempt at using his Mangekyo Sharingan in the modern era, and his body was already suffering from its dire side effects. Noticing the surfaced brooding expression, she switched off the television and focused her attention on him.

"Itachi, don't look so worried. I'm sure it's just an eye infection. The air these days ain't like it used to be. Come on; let me get you a remedy." Opening the refrigerator, she withdrew and uncapped a bottle of eye drop. She instructed him to lie flat on the sofa, and gently prying opened his left eye, she dripped the chilly liquid into the stoic jade. As he blinked in reflex, a stray drop of liquid cascaded along his deep creases down to his cheek, and for a second it almost felt like it was speaking on his behalf. She shook off that peculiar sensation and repeated the procedure, and this time she dabbed off the excess before it did funny things to her head.

"I'm sorry Sakura," He called out from the living room as she was keeping away the eye drop.

"For what?"

"For endangering your life and making you cry, again."

* * *

Even with the countless reassurance from Sakura, he remained dubious about letting her meet up with Yakushi Kabuto alone, and for good reasons. There was no comprehending the degree of relief coming from Itachi when he first laid eyes on Sasuke, that the only thing that went awry for his brother was his disastrous choice of mentor and equally appalling sense of fashion. He did not detect any traits of Kabuto on him – no glasses, no ponytail (he himself was an exception to the aforementioned, since he managed to pull both off with much more success than the whitehead) and certainly no involvement in problematic researches and experimentations. He also managed to settle the snake issue before he died so no problem there either.

He spied her walking past the guard house, and made his first movement to tail her. If he was going to do this, he planned on doing it the way he liked it.

After she boarded the sparsely packed bus, he casted his body flicker technique that allowed him to be on par with the heavy vehicle. As the wind and branches whirred past him in a blur, he remained amazed by his rekindled night vision. Since obtaining the cursed d_**ō**_jutsu, his nights augmented with each passing day, and he was forced to learn to endure and adapt to the remorseless sombre.

He extended both his hands to grab onto a thick overhanging branch to stop his movement as Sakura appeared behind the bus she boarded. She did a surreptitious glance to both sides of the sidewalk before marching into the sushi bar, and disappeared behind the blue noren.

Still suspended on the branch, he summoned a crow clone where he promptly kicked it in the guts to disperse it into a flock of crows. The crows flew off and strategically positioned themselves at varying distance from the sushi bar, effectively laying eyes where optimal sight was impossible.

A crow to his left spotted the male target getting off a white sedan as he made a bee-line for the shop. Before he released the shop's noren, he spun around and gazed at one of the crows perched on the sidewalk tree, before continuing his way in.

The racket generated from the bar radio and the chitter-chatters of the customers drowned out any hint of their conversation, so he was in the dark to the progress of the rendezvous.

After standing by for nearly an hour, both of them emerged from the bar, deep in conversation, and he noticed Sakura was hugging a document. Kabuto gestured towards his car, presumably to offer her a ride home, to which she politely declined with a bashful smile, to Itachi's delight.

Kabuto waved her off as she dawdled towards the bus stop, oblivious to both his and Kabuto's watchful eye on her.

Once she boarded the bus, he summoned a crow to continue stalking her, while he dispersed the rest of his crows and headed in the opposite direction of her, taking the lead from the white sedan reversing from its previous parking spot.

* * *

_Chorus from:_

**You've Got to Be Kidding Me**_,_ _by Kanae Itachi_

_You've got to be kidding me_

_What's with all the do's and don'ts_

_You're told not to disagree_

_Unless you want to be left alone_

_But girl let me tell you this_

_Nobody gets to condone you_

_For having the courage to break into the great unknown_

_You're the only one who gets to decide what you've got to pursue_

* * *

**The tune is inspired by **_L'Importante _**by Boomdabash feat. Otto Ohm; don't be afraid to fight for what you believe is the right path for you.**


	9. Friends

**Chapter8 Recall:**

Itachi got to speak with Kabuto who was behaving rather suspiciously, a near-death accident that resulted in some intimacy between you-know-who and who, and a stalking mission that involved a lot of crows.

* * *

**Chapter9 – Friends**

As Itachi hopped into the apartment through the kitchen window, Sakura walked into view, arms akimbo and eyes trained on his.

"Itachi, where did you go?"

"Oh, Sakura. Seeing that I'm settling here, I want to be up-to-date with the current affairs so I went to get a newspaper," Itachi answered, completed with an irrefutable explanation, waving the papers in his hand.

"Then why don't you use the front door? I gave you the key," Sakura asked as she frowned at his sneaky entrance.

"Sorry, I must have frightened you. I'll do that the next time." Sakura's frown deepened at his evasion of her question, before she nodded and whipped around to move towards her room.

"What's wrong, Sakura? Are you angry?"

"No, it's just I thought you were tailing me, and I'm so glad you didn't, because then I would be so pissed because you didn't trust me enough to do that," She admitted as he maintained his flawless poker-face to her spot on speculation.

Itachi managed to shadow Kabuto for a neat fifteen minutes from the city into a densely forested area, before he drove his sedan through a wrought-iron gate into a stupendously enormous white mansion, which signalled a stop his unauthorised pursuit. Along the way back, he noticed that despite its proximity to the centre of the city, the area and road where Kabuto drove on was fairly deserted, and the gigantic mansion appeared superimposed rather than being there all along, as marked by the several fallen trees around its perimeter. He went on to scout the area for another ten minutes for indication of this forested area as a residential zone, and came up with none.

"You told me not to, Sakura. Anyway, how was the meeting?"

"Oh, you'll be thrilled. Follow me!" Opening the brown envelop, she pulled out a small red passport, a laminated birth certificate, a fool-proof identification card, a public transport card and a couple of loose certificates. Sakura smiled on triumphantly as Itachi ruffled through the pile of documents with his astute eyes, spotting for give-aways and inconsistency, knowing there would be none. When it came to being punctilious, Kabuto was not too far behind Itachi.

"He even prepared the transport card for you; how meticulous right!"

"Sakura," Itachi began as he picked up his new ID card to flash it at her, "When did you take this picture?" Sakura blinked in confusion, before her eyes widened in recognition and shaped her mouth in a small O. She started to simper nervously.

"Ah, regarding that… I took it a few days ago when we were having breakfast; because you were wearing such a deep expression that I knew it was perfect for your new ID card!" Sakura clapped her hands together into a praying pose to seek his forgiveness, as Itachi recalled that faithful morning when he caught her frantically keeping her phone away and rushing off to school. He knew something was amiss then; his instincts never failed him.

"I see." He was uncertain of how to feel about having his photograph taken secretly. Next, he singled out the birth certificate and scanned through the details. She had most of the specifications right, confirming that she was more studious than she appeared. However…

"I-I forgot to ask for your birthdate and when I realised, it was too late and had to make up one…"

"It's June 9. Although it does not really matter; there wasn't really an appropriate time to celebrate life." She bit her lower lip in woe at his matter-of-factly tone. It was clear that he understood life as something fleeting and fragile, but instead of turning those qualities into something to fight for, here was someone who had transformed it into something negative, thinking that he was not worthy to be entitled something so sacred. She felt that he was able to live past each day simply because he was not dead the next day.

It worried her that despite his young age, he was behaving like a veteran soldier in an interminable war with his live constantly on the line.

"Well, not anymore. This is your second chance to enjoy and live the life that you were obviously deprived of in your world!" She made sure her eyes were locked onto his as she said that, which she would see to it happening.

"I guess we shall see about that."

* * *

_**Monday**_

Sakura was elated when the alarm rang at six in the morning – she was finally going to school with Itachi! Rolling over to peek at her companion who was looking at her, she grinned lazily and mouthed a good morning as he nodded in acknowledgment. She rubbed off any remaining sleep in her and flipped off the blanket to commence the day.

"Did you have a good sleep last night?" _Does he even sleep? _She had not seen him asleep as he was always either up before her or he could have slept when she was away from home.

"Yes, I did."

"Later I'll be accompanying you to Kizuna University and introducing you as my distant relative, and fingers crossed that you would be accepted," Sakura said as she sat down to a spread of cereals, fresh apple juice and well laid out utensils. He was really putting her juice blender to good use.

"Wouldn't you be late for school?"

"Don't worry; I'll apply for a hall pass on the way back; it's something like a mission exemption?" Sakura jested as she attempted to relate to his world. Her eyes spotted something and narrowed at his fingers curled around the glass, but she said nothing until they finished their breakfast.

"Here, I'm sure you know what to do with them," Sakura offered before she went to change into her uniform. Itachi glanced down at the cotton pad and polish remover and pulsed his lips in mild humiliation and déjà vu, recalling the week after he officially joined the Akatsuki.

"_Here, I'm sure you know what to do with them," Pein offered before he turned away and vanished in a flash. He glanced down at the bottle of purple nail polish, and felt himself caught in an awkward morass. Given the lack of instruction and those serious eyes, he deduced that this was not a poorly played April fool's joke, but was meant as part of the Akatsuki attire. Until now, he still could not decide which of the two would be more hilarious as a joke._

_Shortly after, he was paired up with Hoshigaki Kisame, who made quite an impression on him with his enormous chakra reserve and unique skin colour (and his presumptuous attitude), but those were beside the point. After a few days of travelling together, they became more comfortable to share some of their thoughts with one another._

"_Were you surprised when Pein handed you the nail polish, because I sure was," Kisame revealed as he cackled to the memory of that appalling moment, curious to whether his new partner shared the same sentiment._

"_Honestly, Kisame-san, I was speechless for a second. I almost thought it was a testament of my fidelity to Akatsuki," Itachi conceded, knowing his partner would not leave him in peace should he evade the question._

"_Itachi-san, you are too serious for your own good. I mean look at us, at our fingers – we are freaking grown men, but vain enough to care about our nail! If not for those damn Rinnegan, I would have fed the bottle to Samehada ages ago," He replied as he contemplated whether to follow through with his initial intention._

"I suppose you were right, Kisame," Itachi mumbled to himself as he began to wipe away what remained of his nail polish, glad that his days with the Akatsuki was over, along with the god forsaken purple polish.

"Anyway, Itachi, just to let you know that students are not allowed to wear nail polish, so I'm afraid you'll have to sacrifice that little hobby of yours," Sakura shouted from the bedroom in a sing-song voice.

"Sakura, I'm sure you are aware of the reason I'm even wearing them, and it's definitely not because I _enjoy _doing so." Boy, was he glad to be freed of the hassle of maintaining his nail.

"Hai hai! Itachi, you are too serious for your own good. I'm curious, what kind of organisation were you part of anyway, to have that as part of the requirement," Sakura asked, not missing the golden chance to address this long-awaited curiosity. Passing back the polish remover, he looked her straight in the eye with such intensity that the smile slowly slipped from her face.

"Not one you would want to be in, Sakura."

* * *

"Come in," Swallowing back their jitteriness, Sakura pushed opened the Secretary Office door and came face to face with Namikaze Minato, who was buried in piles of unprocessed documents.

"Good Morning, NamiKaze-san." Sakura spoke in a robotic tone, suddenly uncertain about the whole operation.

"Good Morning stu- Hey, isn't this Sakura-chan? Come on in and have a sit! And what's with your formal tone? When it's just us, Minato will do," Minato answered affably as he shoved away the unsightly pile of reminders of his tardiness and ushered them towards the cushioned chairs in front of his desk.

"H-Hai, Minato-san. How's your day?" She figured the best way to get the ball rolling was to distract him with small talks, before dropping the question. Minato's grin faltered as he sighed dramatically.

"As you can see, I'm way behind my schedule. With the lack of manpower and overwhelming applications of new students, there just isn't time for anything else these days…" He lamented on as though they were of equal standing, not once exuding the air of someone with one of the highest rankings in the institution.

"A-Ah, our school has quite a high reputation among the region eh?" Sakura tittered as she peeked beside her at what could be his next subject of distress. Minato smiled softly and appeared resigned to his fate, but anyone could pick up the twinkle of pride in his eyes.

"So, Sakura-chan, isn't it time you introduce this fine young man next to you? I'm assuming that's why you are here to see me, hmmm?" He delivered a subtle wink as Sakura descended into a phase of embarrassment.

"Y-Yes, Minato-san. Er-hem, this is a distant relative of mine who came from the rural and is currently staying with me, Uchiha Itachi."

"Nice to meet you, Minato-san," Itachi extended an arm to shake with him as Minato gave him a once over, taking in his long fringe and ponytail, pretty features and casual attire.

"Same here. So, Uchiha Itachi, can I just call you Itachi?" Itachi politely nodded as Minato laughed at their surprised expression.

"Why? Some of my students prefer we remain as strictly teacher and student, so I always ask to respect their boundary. Personally, I rather we communicate as friends," Minato elaborated and nodded appreciatively at Itachi, and Itachi felt caught in a flashback from his past.

He was only four or five then, his days in Konoha was diluted by the murky hours in Akatsuki so he was not really certain; he was straining his neck to catch a glimpse of the Fourth Hokage. He was so petite then; the adults were all cheering and the toddlers riding on their parent's shoulders were not helping his sight. His Father was laden with work and his Mother was nursing her growing belly at home; but he knew he had to witness this, even if it meant by himself.

When he first appeared on the balcony overlooking the gathered townspeople, he could only make out spikes of blonde hair and his first thought was, _how flashy_, and scepticism towards his character surfaced. He knew that judging someone base on his appearance was illogical and inappropriate, but he did not know better then, he was still so young.

However, he was insistent about seeing him, so he pushed his way forward, carefully manoeuvring around to avoid being caught in a stampede. A male in front of him bent down to retrieve something and that was when they laid eyes on one another, and Minato, the Fourth Hokage, directed a small nod that seemed to convey faith and expectations to him. Their eye contact was broken in a second, and it felt like he imagined the nod.

"Itachi? Are you still here with us?" Itachi closed his eye lids briefly to subdue the memory, and nodded apologetically at Minato.

"Sorry, Minato-san. Itachi just got here a week ago, and he is still adjusting to our lifestyle here," Sakura added meaningfully.

"I imagine it's quite different eh, urban life compared to the bucolic lifestyle back at your village."

"It's okay, I guess. I understand things can't be the way they were when I came here," Itachi reflected kindly; he was constantly keeping an open-mind to the happenings around him, so as not to allow prejudice to smudge his judgements.

"That's good thinking, Itachi. Right, I'm assuming you are here because you are interested in joining our institution…?" Minato inquired, much to Sakura's relief.

"Yes, Sir. I haven't gotten much opportunity to study due to the unique system at my homeland, and Sakura recommended that Kizuna University is a good starting ground," Itachi delivered smoothly, with the air of a born leader. She wondered if he bore a position of authority back at his Konoha.

"May I see your credentials…?" Transferring the envelope to Itachi, he handed it to Minato and he began leafing through his various certificates.

"Oh, you are a graduate from the Ninja Academy of the Mist? How intriguing. And from the number of certificate of achievements you have over here, I suppose you are quite a martial artist eh?" Minato eyed him over the papers, as though not quite believing his luck of sitting in the presence of a ninja. Sakura had to shake her head in amazement at Kabuto's innovativeness and connections.

"Age 21, which would put you in the Fourth Year eh? However, seeing that you came from a martial arts school, it would be more appropriate for you to begin a few steps back so you could get used to our teaching systems, what do you think?" At Minato's implications, Sakura straightened her back and leaned towards the desk.

"D-Does, does that mean, you would accept his application?" Minato glanced between the two of them, amused by her excitement in contrast to the subject's composure.

"Well, that would depend…" Without warning, Minato flung a dart at Itachi, to which he narrowly evaded by an inch by tilting his head to the right. The dart cut through the air the speed of light, hitting the dartboard in the bull's eye. The sensation of the cutting movement of the dart was palpable on Sakura's cheek.

"That movement... How long did you take to hone that instinct of yours?" Minato questioned as he directed his full attention to Itachi.

"I'm not sure, years definitely; my family practiced martial arts, so I was exposed to the world of ninja since I can walk," He explained with tenuous fondness. Minato nodded and replaced the certificates into the envelope before passing it back to him.

"What do you think about joining the University's APEX class? Lesson starts today."

* * *

"Here, take my phone. That way I'll be able to contact you without having to head over to your side."

After Sakura led Itachi to the Admin Office, she waved him farewell and headed for her next class. After filling in a stack of application forms, he was given a set of school uniform that consisted of a white shirt, navy blue pants and a blue tie, and P.E. attire. The apparels felt like feather in his outstretched hands, posing a dramatic contrast to the ANBU outfit and the Akatsuki kit he was handed so long ago.

He was told that the APEX class was a five year program where a small group of students with exceptional talents were selected and allocated a separate classroom, with a unique timetable for each student. The participants were allowed to prioritise their area of interest over the normal curriculums, as long as they satisfied the minimum hours for the mandatory classes. Of course, full scholarship was granted for all students from this program.

Standing in front of the washroom mirror, Itachi gulped at the alien reflection, unaccustomed and uncomfortable in his stiff clothing. He pulled the blue strip of cloth around his neck in an attempt to create the form similar to Minato's, and failed terribly. Behind him, there was a flush from a closed cubicle and a pale looking student appeared behind the door. After washing his hands, he pulled out his unmade tie and began tying it.

Standing silently beside him and watching from the reflection in the mirror, he activated his Sharingan and began mimicking his nimble fingers, looping the cloth over the thumb knot before tucking the long end into the knot. The fellow was so absorbed in straightening his tie that he did not realise Itachi's presence as he jumped at the sound of the washroom door slamming behind him.

The APEX students were denoted by the subtle cobalt star patterns on their tie, slightly raised on the surface of the tie so as not to make the students overly stand out. In fact, if not for his glasses, he would not be able to tell the difference.

"Hey, it's you from the library! What are you doing here?" Suspecting that the question was directed at him, he spun around and was greeted with a cerulean hair female with the familiar-looking origami flower on her head.

"Oh, hello we meet again. Fancy you still recognising me," Itachi replied courteously, taking in her APEX tie.

"Well, not many in town have hair as black and long as yours! Unless you happen to be who I suspect you are…? The girl replied suggestively.

"I've only recently came to Konoha, so I don't believe you have any reason to recognise me, other than from the library." Itachi recited his standard answer with his coldest voice, used to deter the annoying horde of Kanae's fans. To his surprise, the girl responded with a smile and with a nudge of her head, they began walking down the corridor.

"Just kidding. You must have gotten that a lot eh? Kanae Itachi had already left the school for a few years, so there's no way he would suddenly show up here, especially not with a concert tomorrow!"

"He seems well-liked by the female population in Konoha." He wondered what made him decided to quit school to pursue a career to entertain girls.

"He is, although I do not see why; half the time he looked like he wanted to kill someone and the other half he appeared about to crumble from the weight of the guitar! I'm Konan, by the way," Konan offered.

"Uchiha Itachi." Her raised brows were not lost on Itachi, but she made no comments, to his liking. Along the way, they chatted about his sudden transfer, understood a little bit more about the APEX program, and learnt that Konan was taking a Degree in Sculpture. Her speciality was in paper sculpting, which explained the numerous paper cuts across his fingers and arms and pieces of paper sticking out from her pockets.

"Itachi-san, huh? Are you also a Year 2 student?" At his confirmation nod, Konan revealed her best welcome beam.

"Then I guess I'm very honoured to have you as my classmate, Itachi-san. And I'm excited to introduce you to the rest of them."

Their classroom was located at the end of a corridor of studios, and she explained that the studios were for the program's students and those with similar courses, like a personal working space. When they entered the classroom, there was only a student seated by the window. The rest of the space was filled up with heavily vandalised desks and several overturned chairs at the back. He observed that the chalkboard was white, which puzzled him. She saw him staring at the whiteboard, and gently tapped him.

"You came from the rural, so it's not surprising to learn that you still use chalk. Over here, we use markers which uses ink so they can be reused, and are less noisy compared to chalks," Konan pointed out and demonstrated her point by scribbling against the whiteboard.

"In the wild, we don't always have the luxury of a chalk. We usually use blood as a medium for writing," Itachi mentioned quietly behind her, and watched her paused in her scribbling.

"Just kidding. Now, can I sit anywhere?" With a disturbing nod, he found a fairly clean table in the middle of the classroom. The boy one seat away was poking and fiddling with several loose woods, and he gave Itachi a sharp nod before continuing with his work.

"That's Sasori; he's in the same field as myself, but as you can see, with a different speciality," Konan chuckled softly to herself as she sat down to begin her paper pyramid while Sasori glared at her.

An hour of flipping through the excessively informative booklets later, a choppy ring resounded throughout the building.

"It's the lunch bell. The rest are already at the cafeteria, Sasori. Shall we go and meet some of our classmates, Itachi-san?" Konan prompted as Sasori soundlessly zipped through the aisle and exited the room before she even completed her sentence.

* * *

The cafeteria was clamorous and immediately Itachi regretted leaving their peaceful classroom, where he could contemplate without having to do so above the noise. The only instance he had witnessed a horde of people gathered in meagre space was during those fraught clan meetings, where his Father would request for his report and all expectant eyes would be on him. He really was never fond of attention, or the clan meetings.

He followed Konan towards the centre of the eatery and gestured to a table of guys seated along the timber benches. An orange-head punk with two rows of studs along his nose and around his ears saw Konan approaching and nodded at her. He was eyeing Itachi like a hawk, but his equally stoic eye gave nothing away to the stranger.

"Konan is here, make space for her. And who's that behind you?" The orange-head punk spoke with an air of authority, and Itachi assumedly marked him as the pack's leader.

"Guys, we have a new classmate. This is Uchiha Itachi, and he recently came to stay in Konoha from the rural," Konan announced just loud enough for the table to hear.

"Welcome Itachi, my name is Nagato, but I prefer you call me Pein." He stood up and reached across to deliver a handshake, and Itachi heeded his pale purple pupils which were evocative of the Rinnegan Kisame was so afraid of.

"Hey, you look like the local singer… Kanae something…" A blond with a high pony-tail interjected, inciting a scowl from Sasori who was seated across from him.

"It's Kanae Itachi, you fool." The blond stopped his deep pondering and slammed his palm in annoyance.

"Sasori-danna, what was that for? Oh, hey you share the same name as the famous singer, hmm. I'm Deidara, care to sign my palm, hmm?" Sasori sighed dramatically as Konan and Itachi slotted into the empty spaces next to Deidara. Itachi found himself next to a brawny guy who towered over him by a head, engaged in a deep phone call. Considering his height and gruff voice, this must be the modern version of his partner.

"It can't be helped; you know I depend on these classes to pay for my daily expenses… Why don't you try to understand from my viewpoint? Of course I want to see you; heck, which brainless guy doesn't want to meet the beauty over the phone?" The burly guy exhaled into the phone, struggling to contain his shaking hands. Itachi raised his brows in mild stupefy– he had no idea that Kisame was such a smooth-talker.

"Yes, yes I _promise_. Alright, see ya." Throwing his phone onto the table, he wiped his hands over his hands in vexation, eliciting a swaddled cry.

"Your girl giving you the headache again?" Pein enquired opposite them.

"Yea… But I just don't have the time to head back to Mist to visit her, with summer being the busiest season and the upcoming regional competition," He bemoaned into his palms, shaking his head in despair. He stopped when he realised the foreign petite frame corralled next to his massiveness.

"Oh, are you new? Sorry, I didn't see you. I'm Hoshikagi Kisame, please to be your acquaintance…"

"Uchiha Itachi, please to meet you too," He answered softly, pleased that he was introduced without any presumptions about him this time. His recollection of their first meeting was filled with discontent and sourness; he did not take a particular liking to Kisame then. He despised the disparaging way he was speaking behind his back (literally), claiming they were alike on the basis on their eerily coincidental betrayal of their comrades.

This Kisame was not spotting any a blue tint on his skin, neither were there any salient features that gave him the resemblance to sharks; he was simply a very athletic-looking and muscular young man, with ebony blue cropped hair and a very troubled expression.

"Sorry about earlier, I wasn't in the best of mood. Anyway, let's have fun together." Kisame shifted in the tight space and flashed his straight teeth at him. If there was one thing he could agree upon with Kisame then, it was the indescribable feeling that came from annihilating your comrades; no words could express the notion and he never wanted to experience it again.

"I look forward to that."

* * *

The phone that Sakura slipped to Itachi rang, as heralded by the ticklish sensation which he had slowly gotten used to.

"Hello, Sakura? What is it?"

"Wow! How did you know it's me? Anyway, as I told you last week, I'll be working after school till night for this week so I'll see you at home, alright?" Sakura said from the other side of the speaker.

"Yes, I remember. I'm leaving school now, see you tonight, then," Itachi replied and before he could tuck the phone away, Konan slipped it out of his clutches, flipping to the back of the phone.

"… Pink huh? Is this a bad April fool's joke or a gift from your girlfriend?" Konan asked skittishly as she stared at the white neko waving against the pink background.

"This isn't mine, I do not own such a gadget," Itachi confirmed solemnly before tenderly slipping back Sakura's phone. She crossed her arms thoughtfully as she watched him in fascination.

"Ah… Aren't you one hell of a mystery, Uchiha Itachi?"

"You only say that because you do not know me."

* * *

On his way to the bus-stop (to be honest, he would have casted his Body Flicker Technique if not for Sakura's interminable pleas to do things 'the current way' to get use to their culture), he saw Kisame, Deidara and Sasori a few meters ahead, and before he could catch himself, he instinctively called out to his former partner.

"Kisame!" Pausing in their footsteps, the trio jerked their heads back at the unexpected call, and all the more baffling was his specific call to Kisame, whom he barely knew (here). When he finally reached them, Deidara was the first to speak up.

"Hey, it's the new guy! Itachi-san yea? What's up, did Kisame-san's fish smell get to you and you're here to give him a piece of your mind?" At Deidaara's risible remark that came from nowhere, Itachi had to smoulder his grin at the relatable statement and Kisame's protuberant eyes.

"What's your problem Mr Blondie? At least I don't smell like frigging flower shampoo!" At his retort and utter insult to his preference for fragrant shampoo, Deidara's face turned serious and he released an audible low growl.

"Guys, stop making a fool of yourselves in the public," Sasori carped as he clicked his tongue distastefully at their lack of maturity. At the reminder of a universe beyond themselves, Deidara and Kisame straightened themselves and redirected their attention to an amused Itachi.

"You called me, Itachi-san?"

"Iya, I just wanted to say hi." It had been ages since he found himself in a situation where it was only purely socialising as a lifestyle and not soliciting information for a mission.

"Man, that hurts, Itachi-san. I understand he's rather prominent in terms of his presence, but I bet you have no idea that my art can stand out a thousand times more than those hard muscles, hmm!" There was no better ice-breaker than broaching the subject of art with Deidara, unless your value of art differed from his.

"Bull! I can never acknowledge your three second artworks as _art_. A true masterpiece stands the test of time and is the embodiment of eternal beauty, don't you agree, Itachi-san," Sasori asked, but it was more of a statement than a question.

"You can just ignore them. We're heading over to the dango store for a quick snack; wanna join us, Itachi-san?" Saved by his reliable partner Kisame, he took on his offer and together they sauntered to the store in the company of the balmy wind under the warm afternoon heat.

Even after they settled down onto the timber benches, the two conflicting artists were unable to reach a compromise, and continued to cause a ruckus in the sweet and bijou cocoon of delicacies and chitter-chatter. As he relished in the chewy texture and rich explosion of red bean paste with his other sane companion, he could not help but reflect on the last instance he visited this famous dango store with Kisame a long time ago.

His partner was complaining about the extended trip to Konoha with nothing but the bland soldier pills to satisfy their hunger, and Itachi suggested they patronised his favourite delicacy heaven. As they were sipping the complimentary green tea, their senses were on high-alert, even more so when they realised they were discovered by the Jounins, and had to flee before they were even half-way through.

"Itachi-san, you look tense. Is something bothering you?" Kisame asked, and broke him out of his reverie.

"No, sorry it's a habit. I'm used to being aware of my surroundings. I hadn't had an opportunity to do this for a very long time," Itachi confessed, surprised that he was able to be so candid with someone he barely knew. Kisame placed the dango bundle into his mouth and pulled out an empty stick, all three devoured in seconds.

"Look, I'm sure there are a lot of things to worry about; just look at me! There's really nothing wrong with it. What's wrong," He paused for effect as he pointed the stick in Itachi's blank expression, "Is allowing your worry to stand in the way of enjoying life." Deidara, who was eavesdropping for a while, hijacked their conversation.

"Kisame-san, I have to say I agree with what you just said. May you not chase times past; nor vex over what is yet to come. No fret, no sweat, and live with a bang, hmm," Deidara offered, nodding away to his own words.

"It's rare to hear you say something sensible. You sure you are not his sister?" Right after Sasori's dialogue, Deidara's eye narrowed into slits, and he began flinging empty dango sticks at the pro dodger. Kisame, who was seated opposite Itachi, burst down into a guffaw.

Looking down, Itachi closed his eyes to inhale the soothing scent of green tea and let its rising heat caressed his face, allowing himself to appreciate and to savour this moment of laid back lifestyle and trouble-free sensation.

He had never felt so rich in his lifetime.

* * *

After maundering along the busy night street of Konoha for the entire night, they decided to call it a day, bid farewell and headed off in their respective directions towards home. Konoha Hospital happened to be up ahead, and Itachi made up his mind to wait for her since it was also getting really dark. He was not the only one eyeing the hospital; Sasori was staring intently at its façade with frowned browns and lips thinned in deep thoughts.

He seemed to catch himself behaving erratically, and replacing his mask of insouciance, he quickly strode off in the opposite direction.

Thirty minutes later, Sakura exited the building and nearly tripped when she saw the lone figure perched against the light pole.

"Itachi? What are you doing here? It's nearly eleven!" Sakura exclaimed as she skidded to a halt in front of him.

"I was waiting for you. Come on let's go." Without waiting for her response, he started walking off. Sakura clutched her hands in her chest in an attempt to calm her elevating heartbeat.

"W-Wait for me, Itachi!"

* * *

**Somehow, I don't really like what I had written. However, that doesn't mean I did this with half-hearted intentions; sorry if this didn't leave up to expectations Nevertheless, I'm ecstatic for Itachi – to be finally reunited with familiar faces (and much more friendlier versions); it's a relief.**


	10. There's No Turning Back

**Chapter9 Recall:**

It's official – He enrolled into Kizuna Uni, and was welcomed by several old faces with slightly altered personalities and roles in society (not that he was complaining; that was a much needed change to being constantly surrounded by highly sought after criminals). As a very sensitive and emotional man, he reflected his current phase of life versus what it used to be.

* * *

**Chapter10 – There's No Turning Back (But to Keep Moving)**

"_Sasuke…?"_

"_Nii-san? What are you doing here?" _Wrong, this is not the same Sasuke, not my little brother…

"_Sorry, you got the wrong person." Itachi informed regrettably. _Wait, what am I saying? Wasn't this the real reason I wanted to enrol in Kizuna Uni_? Instead of backing off in awkwardness for his blunder, Sasuke released a short laugh and did an akimbo with his right arm._

"_Are you teasing me? You came to fetch me right?" _Wait, he doesn't know I'm not the singer, but an imposter who swore to protect him but ended up causing him more pain than anyone.

"_I'm hungry. Let's go grab something to eat before you leave for work,Nii-san." He walked on, dragging him by his arm that broke him out of his _stupor. It's that trusting smile; he knew I can never turn that down.

"_Hn." _Well, it can't hurt if it was for just a day, right?

* * *

Things turned out a certain way for a reason, was the first coherent thought that came to Itachi the moment he welcomed his eyes to the darkness of her room. That was the thought that kept him moving as he peeled himself off the sleeping bag to prepare for his second day in the University.

* * *

"See you at home, Itachi." He could barely make out her words from the clamorous crowd in the bus, if not for his ability to lip-read.

"Tonight is the day of the concert yea?" She pointed to her ears and shook her hand; the earlier bus had broken down, resulting in double the crowd and triple discomfort. Itachi bent down to speak into her ear.

"Will you be okay going to the concert alone?" Sakura shivered at the ticklish sensation and heat radiated from his proximity to her body and when she twisted her head to look at him, their faces were mere inches away. His eyes were watching hers in earnest; his pupils were like depthless murky pools of mystery that she could stare into the whole day and willingly get lost in them. She knew she was taking too long to answer when he raised his brows inquisitively. Rapidly blinking her eyes and looking away, she quickly nodded, suddenly coy. Attending Kanae's concert solo had always been her tradition, but it felt nice to be expressed concern over her safety.

"Alright, see you, Sakura." When Itachi finally leaned away, she immediately found herself yielding for the closeness. _Why does the school have to be so close to home_?

With the intention of keeping their relationship under wraps, the moment they alighted at the school's bus stop, they duly reverted into strangers. Still, she could not help peeking over her shoulder longingly at his retreating back, longing for a wave from him.

Her guess was that she was simply too used to his standard greetings and farewells, and a missed farewell felt like they just had a fervent argument, to which she was the one in the wrong and he was ignoring her as a punishment. However, she would not mind a furtive backward glance or a small wave, just to assure her that he cared.

Sighing in despair at her contradicting thoughts, she headed listlessly towards her classroom. Ino, who was waiting eagerly for her arrival, scurried to the doorway to escort her uncharacteristically torpid friend to her seat.

"The good news just keeps on rolling in; you are not going to _believe_ this, Sakura. Sakura?"

"Good morning Ino and Hinata…" A concerned Hinata wanted to ask her what was wrong but Ino stopped her.

"Listen; remember the hot nerd I told you about at your house? I just heard from one of my seniors from cheerleading that he's studying in Kizuna U now! Do you know what that _means_?"

"O-Oh Ino, are you referring to the new student who looks like the local singer?" Ino whipped her head to a blushing Hinata.

"What?! You heard of that news too?"

"Y-Yea. Neji-nii san was telling me about it over yesterday's dinner gathering. Initially everyone thought that Kanae Itachi went back to continue his studies," Hinata supplied. Ino gazed at her with unadulterated admiration, pleased by Hinata's hidden ability to gossip hunt.

"You heard that, Sakura? Hinata can vouch for the credibility of my news. Now go ahead and beg us to take you to their cafeteria for lunch, you know we won't mind," Ino crossed her arms and nodded away like an understanding parent.

"The cafeteria is huge; plus our lunch break might not reconcile," Sakura prodded an arm on the table, not particularly keen with the idea of spying on someone whom she had made a pact with to remain strangers in school, despite how much she wanted to see him now.

Besides, it would really hurt should they come into contact and he delivered her a cold shoulder; she had no qualms at how cold he could get and even uncertain what that would do to her mood for the rest of the day.

"Come on, what's with your level of enthusiasm? This is someone who resembles your favourite man we are talking about! Someone much more _attainable_ and still fulfil your dream!" Sakura had to subdue her scoff of disbelief at how wrong Ino was.

"They may appear similar, have similar names, but that's really it eh? I bet he can't even sing, much less play a guitar!" Sakura tried, speaking with so much conviction that caused the girls to widen their eyes in astonishment.

"W-Wow, how do you know that for sure? And what do you mean they have 'similar names'? You mean the new guy's also called Itachi?! How did you know that?" If Ino was able to control her delirium, she would make a fine Sherlock Holmes, pinpointing and analysing every word that came out of her subject's mouth with those sharp ears. If Ino was that alert, she would already have assailed her to fess up the truth and not granted her a chance to explain herself.

"Didn't Hinata just mention it?" When Hinata shook her head in befuddlement, Sakura felt she was caught with her skirt stuck in her underwear.

"O-Oh, along the way there were two girls discussing and I happened to overhear their conversation."

"Is that why you seemed so unimpressed because you already heard the news? But think about it this way – this is a guy who's studying in our future school and possibly living in your block," Ino paused to direct a finger at Hinata signalling she would elaborate more later, "Who's not some superstar but just a _normal _guy; he's like a dream bag who suddenly fell from the sky!" If Sakura did not know better, she would have thought Ino was testing her out with her near description of the actual scenario of Itachi's arrival.

"Trust me, Ino; after hearing everything, he's definitely anything but _normal_."

Itachi? _Normal_? Oh please. They hadn't had the chance to meet Itachi the clone, who happened to possess a different personality from the original; and apparently, _that_ was normal.

* * *

Sakura was floored by her situation; one moment she recalled being engaged in a quibble with the girls, and the next she found herself treading along the Uni's cafeteria grounds, her eyes automatically occupied with scouting for a black ponytail.

Ino went to secure the girls a seat while the rest proceeded to order their lunch. Part of her hoped that she could find Itachi before he spotted her so she could locate a strategic spot to spy on him.

Even though this was not her first time here, she felt oddly intrusive, like a middle school girl giving a shot at using the staff's washroom without being caught.

She was eventually caught, no thanks to the girl who had always been jealous of her being the teacher's pet and went to tip off her.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" A male voice called out behind her, causing her to jump out of her skin.

"EEEK! Sorry sorry I didn't mean to…"

"Didn't mean to what?" When she spun around and realised it was Sasori, it brought about a wave of relief as she discreetly wiped off the imaginary sweat across her forehead. Turned out the middle school girl had a really sweet best friend, and her staunch friend just took the rap for her unauthorised access into the darn washroom.

"Nothing and I'm here for lunch obviously! What about you, I'm surprised you're still in school!" She was taken aback by her splurge of courage to challenge him, given his tendency to take jokes over-seriously.

"You came here with that boy?" Choosing to ignore her provocation to his inclination of skipping classes, he had subtly shifted the topic back to her, curiously scanning the crowd for the boy in question. Sakura felt herself instinctively ducking her head, both in embarrassment and fear of being spotted by Itachi by chance.

"N-No, my friends wanted to come here, so I just tagged along," Sakura replied, with the distinct impression that she was trying to convince herself of what she just said.

"You guys not friends anymore? He broke up with you?" Now she was seriously discombobulated; Sasori was not one you would describe as a social butterfly, but one known fact about him was his avid disinterest in other people's life, much less being caught gossiping about it.

She was so thrown off ground that she did not bother rectifying his speculation (where he was not too far off the mark about them not being friends anymore, and let's not even bother with the second point). Her brows were pinched in concern by his sudden abnormal behaviour. Switching on her medic mode, she rested the back of her palm against his cool forehead, checking for fever. Unwonted to bodily contact, especially with a female, he jerked back in mortification, twisting his head away to mask the rising blush he was unable to control.

This was the first time she witnessed Sasori being genuinely embarrassed, and it amused the hell out of her as she broke down in cachinnation. This was a better payback than she would have imagined, and it was not even intentional!

"Oh my Sasori-san, you are so cute! Despite how unemotional you always try to appear, you know you failed big time here."

"D-Don't do that again." If he was attempting to sound menacing, it was definitely not working; Sakura just continued laughing louder.

"But don't worry, this shall be our dirty little secret," Sakura declared in a hush tone, reinforced with a finger to her upturned lips. She tried poking him in his face for the glee of it, but being caught once, his reflexes improved and he assertively pushed her fingers away. Even the act of touching her finger was causing his face to flush.

"Sakura…" The saying 'There's two sides to everything' could not have been more true, Sakura reflected as she shook her head in amusement, mechanically ordering the same dishes from the Western store for Ino and herself. Speaking of which, why was she always gravitating to this one store despite the myriad of choices available?

Upon reaching their table, Ino once again chided her for her sluggishness but her displeasure was quickly forgotten as she drilled her about her little flirting session with Sasori.

"Don't think I didn't see that, you naughty little! Did you know him for a long time?" There was no stopping Ino when it came to gossiping and the sensitive topic of romance; not even an empty stomach and the waft of grilled salmon could distract her.

"Y-Yea, a few years." She admitted meekly as she flipped back to look for Sasori and caught his impish eyes on hers.

"What's his name?"

"Sasori; he's from the Sand too," She added meaningfully, to which Ino shrewdly refrained from entertaining that particular remark.

"Tell us how you met him!" Ino hurried as she ushered Hinata to join in the conversation.

"It's going to take some time…"

"Oh _please_, we've got all day!" As Hinata quietly slided in beside Ino, Sakura mentally prepped herself as she began to dig into a long suppressed memory from all those years ago – from the day where she was robbed of her family.

"I'm going to begin from when my parents were still around." She began gravely. Sensing this was not a simple 'babe you look hot, wanna hang out?' type of encounter, Ino promptly cooled down and put on a serious face.

Five years ago, where Sakura was just a gaiety star-struck middle school girl (she was still star-struck, but over the years she had mastered the art of toning her squeals down), living happily with her parents in the suburbs (the one next to Deidara). As the only child, she was treated as a precious jewel, serenaded with unconditional love and attention from her parents.

Though she might not always see eye to eye with her Mother with regards to hanging out with the boy next door or the appropriate length of her school skirt (she insisted hers was too long and wanted it altered shorter; her Mother thought it was not enough to just cover her knee caps), and though she loathed having to give up her favourite television programme every night during six thirty so her Father could watch the news (her Father said she would grow up to appreciate the daily news report, but sadly that day had yet to come) they were still very much her favourite persons on the round green Earth.

They made her smile.

Her idolising streak came from a coincidental stumble upon an open field; one fine afternoon she had to stay back to serve her detention for skipping classes with Deidara and by the time they were done, it was well into the evening. They decided to head to a nearby café to have their dinner (after a heated phone call with her Mother to pacify her that they would not do anything 'funny' and to head home immediately after dinner). However, halfway through their meal, Deidara had to leave early, and left her alone with her plate of lasagne that suddenly did not create sparks in her mouth.

Smacking her utensils down, she abandoned her half-eaten food and the half-ass café (it was five-star until someone had to abandon her) in a puff. She exited via the backdoor to prevent the doorman from giving her the pitiful eye while vowing never to have dinner (or any meals) with him again. Which decent guy would leave their date halfway through a date? (Granted, it was not much of a _date _date since she could not like Deidara that way, but still.)

After delivering a painful kick to the metal backdoor, Sakura looked up and noticed a modest crowd gathered a few hundred meters across the open field beside the cafe. There were a considerable cluster of girls and the only way to satisfy her curiosity was to drift towards them.

There was a figure singing on a make-shift stage and from the slender silhouette and long hair; she would have assumed that was a lady if not for his cavernous voice. When she neared the back of the crowd, she felt her jaw slackened and eyes that suddenly refused to blink, for not wanting to miss any part of the pretty guy's performance.

She had never met any guy who could pull off long hair better than Deidara.

She drank in all of him – his sonorous melancholy voice, his half-close eyes and the sensual way he was gripping onto the microphone on the stand; it was all very intense. Some people fell in love because of a compatible personality, some for the deceiving outer carapace and some others, a little bit of both.

Sakura fell in love with his sterling voice.

"Umm, excuse me… Who is that?" Sakura then was an extremely shy girl, but for the beautiful being pouring out his soul on stage, she broke out of her shell (and her Mother's strict rule of no speaking to strangers) and asked the girl in front.

"Who's _that_? Only the sexiest, most talented and wanted singer of Konoha, Kanae Itachi!"

"Oh the pride of being a Konoha citizen…" The girl's companion sighed in bliss, and they were once again being lured away by Itachi's singing, Sakura already forgotten.

_Ka-na-e I-ta-chi, what a nice name_.

After some earnest research (there were sadly limited amount of information about him), she got wind of the date of his first official solo gig in Konoha – one she was determined to be part of.

"No?"

"Yes, Sakura. _No_, you can't attend whatever-his-name-is's concert. Who's that anyway?"

"Only the most amazing and amazingly talent man you've ever met!"

"Oh, you mean your Father?" Sakura could seriously die of exasperation then. The clock was ticking, the days were getting shorter; his concert was looming closer than ever. She needed a sure-win plan, and fast.

The next day after school, instead of heading home, she hopped onto a bus, one that led her to her Father's office. She trotted timidly past the stiff security guards towards the pretty receptionist, who greeted her as though she was one of their staffs, and not a kid who had her school's address mixed up.

Emboldened by her comforting smile, she proceeded to beg to meet his Father, who in turned was begged to beg her Mother to allow her to attend Itachi's concert.

"Why me?" The last thing her Father wanted was to be dragged into women's petty bickers.

"Because you are her favourite man!" Women tended to associate men's massive ego as something undesirable, but that was because they have no idea how to turn it into their advantage.

The concert soon welcomed Sakura to the first row seats with open arms.

The first begging worked, so did the second. However, third time was not so lucky for Sakura. She had to overhear the conversation that was never meant to exist.

"Dear, she really wants to go, just once more, hmm?" He could never have enough of her daughter's glib tongue and revelation of his wife's thoughts about him – one the pleased him to no ends.

"That was what you told me two times back. The only reason I even _gave in_, was I assumed it was just a case of a silly teenage girl obsession that would soon go away. Obsessions should not be fed but quelled ASAP," Her Mother insisted vehemently.

"Look Dear…"

"Kizashi… Do you even have an idea _how much_ those things cost?" Sakura had enough.

"Mum! You keep saying things like that because you will have _no idea_ how amazing and amazingly talented he is, until you see his concerts!" Sakura stormed into the kitchen, eager to win no matter the cost.

"Oh, for goodness sake…"

"Once, just come to his concert once, and if you do not like what you hear, I promise I'll stop going to his concerts," Sakura offered as an ultimatum without an ounce of hesitation. Waging his future gigs was no impulsive act; it just proved how much faith she had in his voice.

"I can't believe I'm going to attend a high school drop out's concert with my daughter," Haruno Mebuki lamented over the cab trip to the concert arena. Sakura chose to ignore her whines as she pinned her eyes to their nearing destination.

"We're here, we're here!" Mebuki's complaint was cut short as she glanced around confusingly through the cab's window.

"Sakura, are you sure you've got the right address? This is the frigging _forest_."

"That's right, it's set at a large clearing a few hundred meters ahead. This was where his inspiration came from, so _naturally_ he wanted this concert to be in the nature!"

After the fantastic concert, with her Mother grudgingly admitting so, Kizashi arrived to pick them up for dinner (it was a day concert).

"Half the drive I was wondering should I call Sakura to double-check the address!" Her Father quipped as Mebuki shook her head in resignation.

"Tell me something I don't know."

On their way back to the car after dinner, Sakura realised she had left Itachi's poster on the dining table's spare chair, and told them to go ahead while she scampered back to retrieve her favourite man.

On her way out towards the car, she saw her Mother's head peeking anxiously through the window, presumably looking for her and Sakura cheerfully directed a wave at her.

Sakura would never forget the brightness of the light that followed after her wave; it was like a camera flash, but a hundred times brighter. There was no chance for her brain to make out the source of the light, as it was immediately followed by a thunderous explosion, one with so much impact that caused everyone present at scene to cower in fear and nearby passers-by to fall back in bewilderment.

Sakura was still grinning, before the residual impact of the explosion got her and she landed on her butt, slightly knocking the air out of her small lungs. There she sat, on the dirty paved corridor, watching in blank fascination as her Father's car was consumed by the relentless licking flames. She thought she saw her Mother's hand waving back at her, telling her goodbye instead to hurry up.

Boy, how she yearned to feel those very hands that were the cause of the red marks on her skin.

"Mother…?"

"Someone call the ambulance!"

"They're on their way! Anybody hurt?" Sakura wanted to ask the yelling man whether her parents were considered hurt, but she could not find her voice.

"I-I think there were people in the car!"

"It's no use; the fire's too fierce to get close."

From where she was seated, the chameleon of flames was reminiscent of her school's yearly campfire. For one, they both happened during the dark.

"Quick, we need all the extinguishers we can grab from the supermarket!" Both also felt extremely warm and comforting, though this felt slightly off despite the similar sensation.

"Unlock the hose, _quick_!" She thought she could taste something funny, but she was unsure.

When the ambulance finally arrived fifteen minutes later, there was another contained explosion, and the firemen that had landed from the fire engine parked behind the emergency vehicle methodically jogged towards the raging inferno, and proceeded to extinguish the persistent fire taunting the disfigured car.

"Father…?" Just then, a female medic squatted in front of her, and placed her warm hands on her small and shaking shoulders. Sakura found a set of dark goldenrod orbs frowning at her addled face.

"Are you the daughter of the victims in the car? Are you alright?" She wanted to answer yes, but the bitter taste on her tongue would not leave her in peace.

"Don't worry; we've got the place covered. You just wait here for a while before we send you to the hospital okay?" Before she could nod, the lady patted on her shoulders in assurance and had already moved on to the next dazed passer-by.

Not an instance later, she felt someone pulling her up by her arms, and she found herself twisted around into a warm cuddle of a stranger. Her rational side was telling her to fight out of his grip, to not interact with strangers, especially one who just hugged you in the middle of a crisis. However, she found no strength to push away, and she realised that for once, she did not care.

"You can cry; nobody is going to say you are a cry baby." She felt herself slacking against the thin frame of the boy; felt his chin rested on top of her soot covered hair before stream after streams of tears began rolling down her dusty face.

The mysterious boy accompanied Sakura on the trip to the hospital in one of the ambulances – the one without her parent's body. At the hospital, they sat in daze on the cold plastic chairs, ignorant and deaf to the sense of urgencies along the pristine walkway and muffled talking from the television broadcast.

"…Unfortunately, there were two reported victims to this tragic incident. The police have labelled this case as unnatural death, and have already begun looking into the persons responsible for what was most likely related to a terrorist bombing," Came the mechanical voice of the female broadcaster.

Sakura thought she heard someone talking to her, and when she tried to focus, she realised it was the female medic from before. The words on her metal nametag spelt 'Tsunade.' Tsunade nodded to the boy, in gratitude for his presence before turning and bending down in front of Sakura.

"Hey, your name is Sakura right? Can I call you Sakura-chan?" She numbly nodded before Tsunade continued.

"Oh, Sakura-chan… I don't know a better way to say this, but your parents have just passed away. But I need you to know that you are not alone in this, okay? You have to be strong, for your parent's sake, and yourself," Tsunade said softly, before securing her in a gentle hug, afraid that she might shatter into a million pieces if she was not careful.

"What…?" Before the scream she had been holding could find its way out of her dry throat, she felt a determined grip on her right palm. She slowly turned towards him, the beautiful looking boy with geranium red hair who had appeared out of nowhere to accompany her.

"Your Father and Mother aren't dead; they just went to a better place." He told her with a serious yet soft tone, and Sakura felt the tears welled up behind her eyes.

"H-How do you k-know that?"

"Because mine has too, and they just called to say 'Hi, Sakura's papa and mama are with them.'" At his revelation, she felt the bitter taste lifted from her tongue.

"Funny, the bitter taste in my mouth is suddenly gone."

"I know, because I made them away." He had once tasted it many years ago, but back then there was no one to take it away. Over time, it just diluted and sat on his tongue, forever a part of him.

One was enough; there was no need for two innocent kids to experience the bitter taste of death, not as long as Sasori could help it.

* * *

Luckily for the girls, it was Geography after lunch break, and they were able to make up for their tardiness with Kakashi's even later arrival.

"Oh, wait; did anyone see that Itachi dude just now?" Ino suddenly asked after they were back at their desks.

"I-I don't think so…" Ino turned to Sakura, but she merely shrugged.

"We can look for him some other day; I doubt he'll be leaving any time soon," Sakura replied dryly.

* * *

After returning from his lunch break, Itachi whipped out the time-table from his pocket to check for his next class. Konan chanced upon that and called him out.

"Itachi-san, you know our school has an app for that."

"What's an 'app'? Itachi enquired innocently, and for a moment Konan was under the impression that this was one of his rural jokes again. But then, he _was_ from the rural.

"Oh that's right, you do not own a phone," She sighed softly to herself, before pointing to the corner of his desk, "You see that black panel? It's an embedded touch-screen mini tablet for students to access the internet and school related information, like our time-table," Konan explained as Itachi was staring a hole into the peculiar device. He thought it resembled the flat panel in Sakura's living room. Konan peeled herself off her chair and headed over to his side.

"Here, to activate the tablet you need to press this button…" As Konan began the intricate process of explaining the complicated technology of the modern era, Itachi found himself tempted to activate his Sharingan just to speed up his learning. Never once would he have fathomed that he needed to conceal something as well-known and immanent as his heritage to the world.

"You tap over here to bring up your time-table… That's right," Konan instructed, and Itachi hastily stuffed that knowledge to the back of his mind.

"Oh, you have Taijutsu class now; is that your area of expertise?"

"I guess you can say that." Though to be honest, he was more of a genjutsu person than hand-to-hand combat. Not that he could admit that to her, of course.

"Wow, I can't tell. Anyway, do you how to get there?" Konan asked, referring to the open field at Kizuna High. Itachi groped around his pocket and fished out another neatly folded piece of paper.

"I have the map, I think I can manage."

"A-Alright, see ya, I-Itachi-san." She had to turn away to avoid Itachi seeing her stifled laughter to risk hurting his feelings; but really, who kept the _physical _map of the school around them these days?

Upon close scrutiny of the map, he quickly determined the shortest way to the field – cutting through the classroom blocks. However, he would prefer a route with lower human traffic, which led him to opting to circumvent the blocks and enter through the field's side gate, a slightly longer way. When he was finally there, he quickly located the washroom by the side of the sitting area.

After wriggling out of the stiff uniform (with relief), he swiftly replaced the P.E attire which consisted of a white cotton tee with blue bands around the round collar and sleeve ends, and navy blue bermudas.

While he was replacing his spectacles on his way out, he was rammed on his shoulders by a guy running in his direction, nearly knocking the glasses out of him. Looking through the glasses, he wondered for a moment if he was watching through the wrong lenses, or if the glasses were causing him to hallucinate.

"S-Sasuke?"

"N-Nii?!" There was no mistaking the spiky raven hair and those piercing eyes that momentarily softened upon making eye contact with Itachi, but it was quickly replaced with coldness and a sharp clear of throat.

"S-Sorry, I thought you were someone I know," Sasuke hastily composed himself and rearranged his facial expression to one of nonchalance with a hint of grumpiness.

"… It's alright." Itachi's eyes lingered on Sasuke's retreating back with pensive eyes, but he instantly replaced on his blank expression when he saw another figure approaching – one that resembled his ex-mentor.

With each passing day, it was proving more challenging to discern reality from illusion; all these spot-the-differences were putting a toll on Itachi's sanity. He surmised that if this went on, he might have to check himself into Konoha Hospital for a week of mind-cooling and reality-checking.

* * *

"Good afternoon, minna-san. Before we commence our training, let me introduce a new member – his name is… Why not you tell them?" Gently prompting him with a slap on his shoulder, he took a firm step forward.

"Hai, my name is Uchiha Itachi, nice to meet you." Itachi said with a humble bow before staring intently at the guy who was a duplicate of Sasuke, who appeared to be evading Itachi. A murmur over his sudden presence broke out and he was able to catch snippets of it.

"That's strange, we only accept new members through try-outs…"

"This is so sudden…"

"Is he good enough?"

"Enough! Itachi over here was personally recommended to me by our Secretary Officer, and by questioning Itachi it is as good as questioning your superior," Kakashi chastised with a glare across the surly members.

"By Minato-sensei?!"

"But Kakashi-sensei, this has never happened before, and we have a reputation to uphold…" Kakashi released an audible sigh, wishing for once he had a set of persuasive tongue and a heart to convince his pupils. This was nothing new though, and he always believed action realm over words, anyway. He decided to let Itachi to prove _his _worth.

"Sasuke! I want you to spar with Itachi." His order startled Sasuke, and he arched his brows into an uncomfortable frown as he turned to stare at his disturbingly familiar-looking opponent.

"S-Sasuke?! Isn't that a bit too harsh for the new guy?" Kakashi ignored that comment and gestured for everyone to step back. He crossed his arms and waited patiently as both parties stepped in front of one another in the makeshift semi-ring.

"M-My name is Kanae Sasuke. Don't think I'll be going easy on you because you are new…" Itachi mentally scoffed at his belligerent words, unimpressed but amused. _You still talk big as usual_.

"I don't expect you to go soft on me too, my little brother." Sasuke thought he heard the word 'brother,' but his thoughts were destructed as he eyed an oncoming frontal punch from Itachi. He deftly dodged to his right, and quickly blocked his next kick with his right forearm. Bending down, he delivered an upper-sky kick to Itachi's guts, but it was immediately deflected as Itachi grabbed his suspended leg, pulling him up and hurled him across the grass patch.

To break his fall, Sasuke shot out his stronger arm to stop the hurl, and charged forward. They were quickly interlocked in a superhuman speed of fists and kicks, darting and sidestepping hits at the very last instance before any real damages were dealt. Nobody was holding back; every kicks and punches were packed with the intent to hurt.

"Take that!" After narrowing avoiding Itachi's spinning heel kick, Sasuke took advantage of his current crouching position and did a drop roundhouse kick. Itachi anticipated that move and leapt into the air. Smirking, Sasuke shifted his weights onto both hands and summoned his spinning heel kick, sending Itachi flying. The jerking action caused Itachi's glasses to slip off and it landed unceremoniously by the side along with Itachi.

Half the fight for Itachi was really to resist from utilising his chakra and to focus on delivering pure brute strength. He could not count the number of instances he had to control his instinct to summon a shadow or crow clone to substitute with him, but eventually he got used to the fact that his opponent was no ninja. He simply needed to hypnotise himself into believing that his chakra channel was blocked and absorbed those suddenly inevitable hits in stride.

It was much easier to cast a genjutsu on others than on himself, he thought sadly.

"Not bad, Sasuke," Itachi called. Sasuke's eyes widen at the unprecedented sight of Itachi's bare face, before Itachi's body seemingly vanished into the warm afternoon air and resurfaced in front of Sasuke, who had just climbed up and once again found himself on all fours after an agile kick to his guts. There were collective murmurings and gasps at the sight of a defeated Sasuke, as Itachi walked towards Sasuke, assumedly to deliver his final move.

"He's good."

"Alright, that's enough. I think that was sufficient to prove his worth, so everyone should stop with the whisperings," Kakashi reprimanded as he ordered everyone to form pairs and commenced with their warm-ups and usual rounds around the field.

Sasuke took in the extended hand from Itachi and smirking to himself, grabbed onto it.

"You make a good fight," Itachi praised as he took the chance to take him in.

"I must say I'm surprised; where did you learn your kicks from?" Sasuke commented between coughs.

"Some were taught to me by my Father, but mostly I picked them out along the way by myself." Sasuke pondered upon his words, but his thoughts were once again interrupted by Itachi.

"You said you mistook me for someone else; is that somebody you are close with?" He tried to sound causal and non-imposing as he surveyed the field and the members of the Taijutsu team, many of whom were still gaping openly at him.

"Ah… That was my bad. It's just, you remind me of my older brother," He admitted bashfully, with hands shoved into his pocket while kicking absently at the grasses.

"What are you two standing there for? We're beginning the running without you!" Kakashi shouted across the field.

"Coming!" Itachi and Sasuke yelled back in unison; and this thus became the first conversation between the brothers across the Universe.

* * *

The whole afternoon at the hospital had been hectic; there was a fatal chain reaction of car crash on the expressway and within minutes from the accident, a barrage of victims with varying degree of injuries were pushed through the grand entrance. Tsunade was immediately summoned to lead a team for operations, and Sakura was appointed as her fourth assistant, with Shizune the first assistant guiding her.

"Pass me the scalpel." That was the cue to the beginning of the war with the grim reapers. When they thought they were done with one, one of the patients on the adjoining bed would cough out blood and be discovered to suffer from serious internal haemorrhage, or another one be diagnosed with a punctured lung – it was all very harrowing to experience.

After Sakura's third operation in a row, she was granted a ten-minute break to compensate for her missed dinner, only to be called back into the operating theatre by her mentor to prepare for a coronary artery bypass surgery – aka a major operation that would take at least three hours, consisting of lots of forehead wiping (of Tsunade) and equipment sanitising (for Tsunade).

When all victims were treated and cared for, consoled and pacified, assigned to their respective wards and discharged as per requested, it was Itachi's impending concert that fuelled her prostrated muscles and weary soul, propelling her to keep moving and stop whining. Really, idolisation was not much of a dreadful thing when you knew how to incorporate that as part of a healthy lifestyle movement. Just the mere imagery of Itachi's shirtless body and eyes closed in sheer pleasure of vocal expression could send her body into sexual overdrive (alright, maybe that was an exaggeration) and transformed her downturned mouth into a hundred watt smile at even the most churlish and unreasonable patients and staffs she passed by.

That said; it was still a relief to be relieved of her duties two hours earlier after acquiring special permission from her mentor. She knew despite Tsunade's tough carapace, she was very sensitive to Sakura's welfare and happiness, and that included to not depriving her of a two deserved hours of light stick waving and shrieking her hearts out along with hundred over teenagers and housewives.

However, she was still slightly behind time and had to cab her way to Konoha's Indoor Stadium for fear of missing out of his prefatory performance.

Before the cab came to a complete stop, she handled over two sheets of tens and told the driver to keep the change (so much for frugal lifestyle, but anything for her idol!) and bounded out of the vehicle before he could even utter 'thanks…?'

Even after dashing and coercing her way through the assemblage of overprotective parents and overzealous concert goers, she was greeted by an agonising long queue by the entry gate. Not wanting to be any further behind line, she whisked ahead of a rambunctious group of girls to join the queue, inadvertently knocking to the person in front.

"Oops, sorry…" He held an uncanny resemblance to Sasuke, with all the hair products and slightly slouching posture…

"Sakura? What are you doing here?"

"SASUKE-KUN? No, what are _you _doing here?" Sakura rubbed her eyes just to be sure (even though it made her vision even more blurry) – the ever-spiky raven hair; semi-permanent frown and complete disinterest of his surroundings (until you bumped into him from the back with considerable force), yes that was Sasuke alright.

"I-I'm queueing, isn't that obvious?" Sasuke supplied rather helpfully, presumably buying time to cook up a favourable excuse for himself.

"Right, I can totally see that for myself. I mean it Sasuke-kun, you do know this ain't a wrestling match right? Surely you could surmise as much from the selective crowd here," Sakura remarked as she gestured to their surroundings.

"Right… And why are you wearing a nurse outfit?" Once again, he eluded her first-grade level question, choosing to bring the attention to her. Sakura furrowed her brows in bafflement, about to upbraid him for his lame attempt at diversion when she glanced down and nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Oh shoot! I forgot to change before I come!"

"…Seriously? Are you that obsessed with my brother that you lost awareness of yourself?" Sasuke asked with an incredulous brow raised, as his eyes lingered on her shorter than usual skirt. If not for the overwhelming mortification she was experiencing now, she would have been flattered by his rare and unwonted heed to her apparels (or her in general).

"I-I was rushing for time; it's not like I have the whole day to sit around counting down to his concert…" She retaliated, not that pleased with his insinuation of her bordering unhealthy obsession over his brother…

"Wait, you actually came to attend your brother's concert…" Realising that Sakura finally caught onto the purpose of his presence, he made a start to deny his way through but was cut off by her.

"No, why are you in the queue? Don't family members get VIP passes and enter from the backdoor…" Sasuke cursed softly under his breath when he reached the ineluctable stage of admission – both the physical flashing of his ticket and verbal declaration of his plaintive plight. Sakura snapped her fingers in understanding.

"Ah-ha! Itachi doesn't know you're coming, because you turned down his invitation! Am I right Sasuke-kun?"

"Next! Your ticket, please Ms Nurse." Saved by the cheeky bouncer, Sasuke waved a 'so long!' and snaked along beyond the curtains before Sakura could squeeze any more information out of him. That sneaky dude.

Guided by the directives plastered along the walls, she unwittingly took charge and led an entourage of lost audience who purchased the same CAT as her down the gentle flight of steps… And winded up next to sneaky Sasuke.

"You!" They chorused, before indulging in an amicable moment of ludicrous laughing as Sakura plonked next to him.

"The guilty never gets away…"

"I was ushered on; said I was 'obstructing the traffic,'" Sasuke inveigled shamelessly, and she did not bother to point out the ratio of the generous width of the entrance to his lean (small) frame.

As the stadium descended into a momentary darkness, the diehard fans at the free-standing zone emitted a momentous shush towards all directions. Fortuitously, the people in the seats voiced solidarity and dutifully spread forth the shhs and tsks to any remaining rowdy groups around them.

Over the excessive choir of onomatopoeia, Sakura could feel and heard the persistent grumbling of her stomach, and by the look on Sasuke's, so did him. Sasuke sighed and offered her his home-made bento, which turned out to be decorative rice balls in the shape of cats. Sakura gave him a puckish grin, before silently slipping the bento from his gasp.

"Don't ask." She slyly nodded and accepted his cute peace-offering in merriment. To be honest, this was simply a dream come true – to be graced by the presence of two of her favourite men; as one performed his beautiful pieces the other was tucked next to her with nothing but an armrest separating them.

Since that impromptu date, there were no opportunities to get closer to him (excluding the 'man-made' ones, like Ino's suggestion of stealing his phone and later 'discovering' it by the foot of his chair and returning it to him) and needless to mention, there were simply zero effort on his part. Right now, she could finally understand why people committed all these fatuous acts that risked soiling their name, just to catch the other party's attention, all in the name of love.

During the concert, she kept sneaking furtive side-glances to gauge his reaction, but mostly to amuse herself over his overt adoration to his brother; his attention was completely sealed on the stage! This was the first time she witnessed the bashful and innocent side of Sasuke. The foul-tempered and unfeeling guy finally took a vacation and brought out the real Sasuke beneath the layers of walls he had erected over the years.

It was an assuring sight for her, and was once again in awe of Kanae Itachi's rein over people from all walks of life.

"His ballads are really amazing…" Sakura breathed out after he disappeared under the stage via a built-in platform to switch attire and prepare for his next masterpiece.

"Yea…" This was also her first time to see him comply and readily respond to her remarks; it was slightly unnerving. She decided there was no better time to do what was needed than now, while it was dark and Sasuke was in a good mood.

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

"Yea?" He answered distractedly. She had to raise her voice over the choir of encores to be heard by a bedazzled Sasuke.

"You are also an amazing person; probably one of the most amazing people I've met for a long time."

"Yea… Wait, did you say me?" Sasuke slowly turned his head to look at her with disconcerted eyes.

"I've wanted to tell you this since long ago…" Sasuke was still not catching the drift of the conversation, and continued to inspect her, nodding his head to speed her up.

"Sasuke-kun, I like you." Her timely confession was proceeded by shrills of uncontrolled cheers from the audiences, immediately dying down upon the play of a mellifluous piano piece by Itachi.

"_Your voice, smell and presence; I've noticed them with acquiescence."_

"Sakura… Why me?" His voice was laced with million specks of doubts, and suddenly she felt Itachi's song fading away, leaving just herself and the boy beside her in the vast galaxy.

"_My heart, thoughts and footsteps; you've left me feeling all complex…"_

"Do you need a reason to like someone?" Sakura asked in a slightly panicked voice.

"_Your indifference hurts-"_

"But, what do you like about me?" He was genuinely concerned and baffled by her question; she could imagine the gears turning behind those spikes that unknowingly impaled her heart to his.

"Everything! Your foul-temper and that tantalising smile of yours… The flashes of tenderness that surfaced occasionally beneath the penetrating glares; I like them all."

"_-And till now I have no idea which is worse…"_

"But… What's so good about that?" She felt herself balling her fists, unable to curt the raising desperateness for his acceptance that threatened her tears to fall. She hated that he was overanalysing her words and thinking everything from a rational point of view.

"I just like you for who you are!" She vehemently hissed; pissed that this was not going the way she anticipated, and feeling some of the humiliation from the people turning around to look at her quizzically. She would rather he plainly rejected her on the spot, rather than having to answer his titillating questions that risked exposing her heart more and more. He turned away from her intense gaze, stuck at how to have _his_ feelings projected to her.

"_Leaving you aside-"_

"You know, Sakura, it's not that I dislike you," At his roundabout speech Sakura had to pinch her eyes shut to prevent the first drop of sadness from falling out, "But, there's just somebody now that… That I love beyond anything. I just can't find it in me to betray or dilute that love at this point by thinking of someone else," Sasuke confessed pensively. Sakura opened her eyes in shock at the rawness of his words, dumbfounded by the lady capable of evoking such tender emotions from this seemingly stony-heart being.

"Who…"

"My brother."

"_Or be sated with having you as my imaginary bride?"_

This time, she allowed the persisting tears to have their way.

* * *

Manoeuvring on sheer auto-pilot, she mindlessly unlocked her apartment door, kicked off her white flats and gently nudged the door shut with her foot before drifting into her room. She acknowledged Itachi with an unfocused nod without looking into his eye, before she wafted off into the bathroom.

While Itachi's eye lingered on the contents of his course book, his mind and attention was carried away by the sound of running water a few walls away. He was expecting a sizable radiation of enervation, but requited with incontinent dreamy-sighs and humdrum flatteries of Kanae's performance, not _this_ complete blasé.

When Sakura padded back into the cosy confinement of her bedroom, he caught the momentary flash of surprise in her eyes at his presence, before her memory caught up and she emitted a weary laughter at forgetting about having a roommate that was a carbon-copy of her idol.

She wordlessly slipped onto her bed (with the lights on, as she vaguely noticed Itachi still occupied with his school work, and she was also too washed off to bother about it), lying over her blanket and face down into her pillow. The ringing silence that heeded was enough to put off Itachi from knowing ways to counter-attack a surprised attack, and he duly shut his book and wheeled around to face the embodiment of sorrow.

"Sakura?" He could hear suppressed sniffles and a slight trembling of her body as she shook her head into the pillow.

"I'm fine, Itachi." If there was one thing he picked up from the bickers between his parents and Deidara and Sasori, the one calling the 'fine' shots was anything but.

"Was the concert a let-down?" Frankly, he was at a loss of what to do now. He never had to console Kisame with words; leaving him in-charge of the killing would be enough to wipe off all lingering sorrows and his accumulated dissatisfactions during his mood swings.

"No, it was g-great, just… Somebody else has let me down…"

"…"

"During the concert, I confessed to the guy I liked, and it didn't turn out so well…" Though he was aware that Sakura fell in the age range of raging hormones and world exploration, it still took him by surprised that she was carrying a torch for someone that was not on her posters.

As much as he was concerned, he could not care less about the hassles and complications of romance, and handled rejections (to male and female ninjas and civilians alike) with nothing short of an unapologetic apology of regrets and gratitude. He never once found his heart reaching out to anyone and never had to fret over 'in the event the confession did not turn out so well…' notion.

"Was there someone else?" He speculated.

"Yea; the saying blood is thicker than water couldn't be more apt here…" Itachi briefly frowned at that comment; was that guy having incest with his sibling? He found the idea largely perturbing and immediately focused his attention on Sakura's shaking frame. He felt something in him stirred at her vulnerable state; an indescribable sensation of disquiet mingled with his acquiescence to reciprocate those quivering feelings.

He once again felt that twitching in his free hand, the irrational wanting of reaching out to offer her consolation and to relieve her of her consternation. He detested the lack of control over his mind and body, which was why he even mastered genjutsu in the first place; to not find himself corralled and entrapped by his lack of consciousness.

"Itachi, I feel so… I hate myself for behaving like this." Quickly pulling back his hand, he turned his eyes away from Sakura to shackle his heart from beating in surplus concern and to still his muddled mind from betraying his body. At her stifled sob, he was hit with memories from his clone, of that imbecile entity cuddling her without restraint against his better judgement.

The last time he formed an attachment with anyone, he was left with multifarious scars and bestowed with the guilt of stripping them of their lives. The only person whom he had real attachment that was still alive was ruthlessly subjected to his fabricated wrath and indelible psychological tortures.

"And you would think after all these decades that love would have advanced like technology; easier to handle…"

"I don't know about you, but I fear technology is still very hard for me to comprehend."

"Kinda like romance, hmm? Oh, and most of them these days don't even last beyond a month, much less a year." By now, Itachi was not sure whether she was referring to technology or love.

After mentally debating (for ways to console her), he figured he should just settle for verbal consolation; that way not only could he satisfy his defiant heart (to do something for her) but also refrained from bodily contact. Unfortunately for him, he did not have the courage and the unfettered heart like his clone. He cleared his throat.

"This sucks…"

"Sakura-"

"I should have given up long ago-"

"It's not you, it's him-"

"Maybe I'm just not good enough-"

"He doesn't know what _he's_ giving up." At his explicit words, she desisted her babbling and peered through her watery eyes and over the blanket, wondering right into a pair of sincere and intense crimson orbs in the suddenly dark room. Instead of shrinking in fear at the intensity and unusual colour of his irises, she felt herself instantly mesmerised, gradually sinking into oblivion as he lured her away from her despondency, the cruelty of the world and consciousness, right into safety within the murky depths of his blazing Sharingan.

* * *

**I'm thankful for everyone who just travelled through this emotional roller-coaster of a chapter with me; everyone is feeling so down, especially Sakura :[ Nothing like a little Sharingan to take some sorrows away – so Sharingan me too Itachi! (Any excuse for me to stare into those eyes xoxo)**


	11. Do We Have A Date?

**Chapter10 Recall:**

The news of Itachi's admission spread like wildfire; Sakura recounted her first meeting with Kanae Itachi, and revealed the truth of the heart-wrecking incident behind her parent's death. Itachi finally met the modern reincarnation of his brother, and Sakura attended K. Itachi's concert with an unexpected audience.

* * *

**Chapter11 – Do We Have A Date?**

"_Sasuke-kun, why can't you like me the way you like your brother!"_

"_You know, Sakura, it's not that I don't like you," Sasuke replied in an exasperated tone, clearly sick of where this conversation was heading. At this point all she wanted to do was to shut her ears and pretended that she was not listening to a love rejection speech._

"_It's just, he's my brother and, you're not."_

After Itachi had set up the table for breakfast, he darted his head towards the bedroom and was puzzled by the lack of activity. Usually Sakura would be up and kicking blankets by half past six, but when he checked the living room clock, it was already ten to seven.

Stripping off the red and white checkered apron, he sauntered into the bedroom to smack the alarm clock shut for the fifth time. Sakura remained unstirred in her dreamland, her head well-buried in the pillow and partially obscured by the blanket. Itachi sighed inwardly and considered not waking her up, but thought the better of it and gently nudged her slacked arms. He felt that she should not be abandoning her studies and attendance for the sake of a potentially homo boy, despite how much he was tempted to let her sleep on.

"Sakura, wake up."

"Mmm…" Her muffled response sounded suspiciously like sleep-talking. His concerned eyes momentarily softened at her resistance to move. _She's cute when she's asleep_.

He blinked and quickly caught himself before he indulged further in this sudden bout of inane thoughts, brushing it off as an unfortunate case of mind fatigue. He tried again and shook her with greater force.

"Sa-ku-ra, you're going to be late for school," Itachi drawled, feeling like his Mother with her incessant chanting for the men in the house to get their lazy asses off the bed. When Sakura turned towards him only to pull the blanket over her head and ceased motion once again, Itachi understood a little of her Mother's feelings. Not about to be put off by her non-responsiveness, he had no choice but to resort to playing dirty – prying off her weakness.

Retrieving a pen from her desk, he began to strike in a similar fashion as the Hyuuga's renowned Eight-Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, aiming strategically at her waist. When his tentative jabs were only returned with a slight shift in her body, he intensified his attacks by increasing the speed of his pokes. That did the job; she let loosed sporadic grunts before she could no longer withstand the ticklishness and poured out laughing, her right arm futilely flapping off the source of irritant.

"S…Stop it… Stop! I-It's ticklish!" When her jerking and twisting was met with more prodding, she shot up her arm and grabbed at whatever was disrupting her sleep, and pulled it towards her chest to stop its movement. When it worked, she released a blissful sigh and returned to her sleep, cradling the somewhat soft yet firm object in her bosom.

"Ah-hem, S-Sakura… What are you doing?" At the back of her mind, she thought that the voice sounded familiar, but she dismissed that and hugged tighter at her makeshift bolster.

"Sakura, we are really going to be late for school if you don't wake up NOW." At Itachi's commanding tone, Sakura peeled open her eyes. After a few hazy seconds, she found herself gazing into a pair of intense obsidian orbs a mere inch away from her face.

"I-Itachi?!" _W-Why is his face so close to mine? Oh shit do I have bad breath_? He raised his brows sheepishly before pointing towards her chest, and when she duly looked down, her earlier embarrassment was instantly restored to full on mortification and maximum alertness. For the past seconds and possibly minutes, she was cuddling what turned out to be _Itachi's arm_ _on her breast_, and _tightly_.

"OH MY GOD," Sakura yelped and spontaneously released her vice-like hold on his arm, whispering muted apologies under her blanket. Touching his still-warm arms, Itachi let loose a soft chuckle at her dramatic display of humiliation, while secretly glad that she missed his slightly flushed face.

"On account of letting you 'borrow' my arm, would you wake up now?"

"Oh no… I-I mean, give me a sec! Itachi, can you please leave the room first? I can't face you right now!"

* * *

By the time Sakura got over her embarrassment and morning routine, they were left with half an hour to spare. Sakura did not even have the luxury of wearing her socks as she haphazardly slipped into her loafers and dashed towards the lift, where Itachi was motioning for her to hurry.

Itachi tilted his head at the poor girl struggling to finish the slice of bread before eyeing amusingly at her hair. It was an especially arid day, and despite her excessive combing, it was virtually impossible to tame those stubborn baby hairs and loose strands. Instinctively, he reached out to smooth down those wild and unruly locks, and marvelled at its silky texture and flamboyant colour.

He was unaware of Sakura's acute awareness to his gentle caresses, or how she stopped chewing on the bland bread. She only broke off from her stupor when Itachi called her out of the lift, then did she realised she was the only one left in it.

When they reached the bus-stop, they only managed to catch the retreating taillights of the last bus that could get them to school on time.

"No way…" Sakura was supporting herself on her thighs, trying to catch her breath while panicking over their predicament. The bus-stop was empty except for an elementary-grade school boy who was idly swinging his scrawny legs on the bench.

"Guess there is no other choice," Itachi declared and before Sakura could respond, she found herself scooped up, her bag sliding off her shoulder in her shock. Itachi quickly bent and slung it next to his schoolbag. He glanced down at her gaping eyes.

"Hold on to me." Without further ado, he took a few discreet steps back towards the wooded area behind the bus-stop, and hopped onto the nearest tree before activating his Body Flicker Technique. Sakura squealed at the unanticipated gush of wind and instinctively reached out to wrap her hands around Itachi's neck to avoid falling off. She let out another unfeminine shriek when he stumbled on a slightly fragile branch. He smiled down apologetically at her.

"Sorry, Sakura, I'm not the best when it comes to this." He held her eyes for a second longer than necessary, as though lost in his thoughts, before focusing ahead of them. She responded by tightening her grip, squirming her eyes and burying her head against his solid chest. Despite the uncomfortable rebound and occasional roller-coaster drops from tree to tree, she soon found herself soothed by the rhythmic tapping of Itachi's feet on the branches and adjusted herself accordingly in his secure grasp.

She took delight in their proximity – she was able to take in a liberal dose of his green tea and musky scent and to soak in his body warmth without feeling like a creep, and gently felt him up on his firm chest discreetly.

"Sa-Sakura, could you stop doing that…"

"Hmmm?" She was languidly dragging her hands across his chest, taking pleasure in the unevenness resulting from the taut muscles hidden underneath the crisp shirt. Then she realised he was referring to _this _action.

"O-oh! S-Sorry, I didn't realise…" _Maybe not as discreetly as I thought, oops_. She hastily retracted her itchy fingers and replaced them around his neck again, still staring longingly at his chest. Maybe being late was not such a bad thing after all.

There was a part where they nearly ran smacked onto an oncoming pigeon, to which Itachi did a sudden drop to a lower branch, avoiding a fatal hit and run by a hair's breath.

"H-How did you do that?"

"I increased the density of chakra concentrated on my feet and let gravity do the rest of the work," Itachi explained. Other than that, the rest of the journey was smooth-sailing, as smooth as travelling through trees could get.

They managed to land a few metres from the high school's gate with a few light scratches on Itachi's arms and some stray leaves in their hair, with five minutes to spare. He lowered Sakura carefully onto the ground, and began to dust off the evidence of their morning episode.

"W-Well, thanks for the ride…?" Sakura offered good-humouredly, uncertain of what to do in this situation.

"You're welcome. Go on to your classroom; you're going to be late," Itachi urged on, tapping his wrist meaningfully. Sakura smiled bashfully and bowed slightly, before shuffling off to join the lone figures striding along the pavement towards the gate.

Releasing the pant he was withholding, he swiftly headed towards his classroom. Along the way, he rotated his shoulder blades and laughed mentally to himself.

_I must be getting weak. Either that or Sakura might have gained some weight_.

* * *

"Whoa Itachi, your back's soaked. You went running?" Deidara pointed out as he slipped silently onto his seat, and politely declined Konan's tissue. They were the only people in the classroom, despite homeroom starting in less than three minutes. He suspected that this was a regular occurrence; considering the privilege this program had bestowed upon the students, it was expected that when hitting 'minimum curriculum hours' was concerned, the school would be getting no more than the bare minimum.

"Ne, Konan. I was kinda hoping that homeroom today would be cancelled; not that keen to listen to that long hair geezer's world peace speech, hmmm," Deidara said while swirling like a kid on the computer chair behind the teacher's desk.

"Just admit it, you admire him."

"What nonsense! I wonder where Sasori-danna is though; he is usually on time, hmmm," Deidara pondered aloud when the overhead intercom buzzed into life.

"Attention to all students – kindly head to the Auditorium now for a short assembly. All homeroom attendances will be automatically taken when you walk passed the auditorium entry sensors. I repeat all students…" Deidara broke into a smirk, pointing smugly at the intercom.

"Heh, looks like my wish just came true." Konan shook her head at his childish demeanour, though she was clearly smiling.

"I can't imagine anyone would want to waste any of their wishes on such a silly occasion, Deidara," Konan offered indulgingly. His only reply was an indignant pout, and Konan chuckled amusingly before getting up to leave for the expected venue. It was then that Kisame strode into the classroom, blinking befuddled stares at their various half-seated half-standing positions.

"What have I missed?" His confused eyes met Itachi's, and he broke into a cordial grin.

"Hey, Itachi ka? Good morning!"

"M-Morning, Kisame,"Itachi stammered, not quite use to his outright jolly nature, especially with a grin that no longer promised malice and was missing the sharp teeth that would peek out from his ex-partner's upper lip. It felt weird to believe that he turned over a new leaf.

"What are you doing here, Kisame-san? Let's get going already!" Konan exclaimed before guiding him out of the classroom, much to his bafflement and reluctance.

"Where to?"

"You can't be kidding right, Kisame-san? Didn't you hear the announcement? We're needed at the auditorium, hmm."

"What? _You_ can't be kidding right? When I finally made the effort to be on time for homeroom… Man, I knew good deeds were never always returned," Kisame grumbled as he trudged off with Konan's palm rested on his back, directing him encouragingly down the corridor like an upset victim's family member after hearing the news of his injured kin.

"Can't say I don't agree with him, hmm. Let's go, Itachi-san!"

* * *

"What's taking you so long? Let's go, Sakura!" Ino waved on when Sakura was the only student left in their temporarily abandoned classroom.

"Yea, Sakura-chan is so slow!" Naruto added helpfully, to which she responded with a shaking fist that spelt trouble.

"Chill Sakura-chan, you know I would wait the whole day if that's what it takes… Okay okay! I'll shut."

"Mou… Just when we had to rush all the way to school and the first lesson's _cancelled_," Sakura mumbled under her breath as she rushed out of the same door she rushed through just a moment ago. Both of them were tsk-ing away at her sluggishness and she gave two of her best friends a heartfelt slap on their backs as they joined the traffic down the stairs.

"Hey, where's Hina-hime?" She glanced curiously around for any sign of the imperial purple mass of hair.

"Oh, she said she had some work to discuss with Kiba and Gaara-kun, and left ahead of us," Ino relayed, and both of them wondered at what was so urgent that needed to be 'discussed.'

The Auditorium was right smacked between the high school and university, and was a separate building by itself with covered link ways connecting from the high school's Admin Office and the uni's cafeteria. Torrents of students strung through the grand entrance in an orderly manner, but that was probably because no one was looking forward to attending this impromptu assembly.

Made to house both institutions, the air-conditioned auditorium boasted three tiers of cushioned seating and a dark ceiling that mimicked the night sky with scattered specks of white lightings. Other than having their classes cancelled, what Sakura loved about going to the auditorium were the comfy chairs (as opposed to sitting on the floor in the hall), dim lightings (that she could fall asleep on as soon as your butt connected with the seat) and the enormity of the interior allowed you to sleep _and_ escaped scot-free.

"I wonder what this is about… Ne any idea Sakura-chan?" Naruto 'whispered' next to Sakura as they settled into their allocated seats on the ground floor.

"I don't know; it must be something big to garner the use of this auditorium. What do you think, Ino?" It was pointless talking to Ino as she was already lost to the uni's male splendour settled above behind them. Sakura wondered if by a stroke of luck she could spot Itachi, and twisted around to join the man hunt.

"What are you looking for?" Naruto traced their line of vision and despite squinting his eyeballs out, he could barely make out the student's genders, much less face. He soon grew bored from the girl's queer interest and nestled against the arm rest and shut his eyes.

A hush descended the assembled body as overhead spotlights casted onto their spokesperson of the day, making his way to the stage podium.

"A warm welcome to the rare congregation between the high school and university students and teachers of Kizuna in this auditorium; I'm Pein and I kindly seek a few moments of each and every one's attention on this stage," Pein boomed assertively into the podium's microphone, effectively grabbing his audience's focus. The initial hushed whispers soon dulled, and he nodded approvingly before continuing.

"I am heartened by your cooperation. Please, do not mind me as we wait for another minute for the commencement of today's unpremeditated gathering." The crowd willingly obliged to his instruction at the promise of a starting assembly and soon hushed conversations began to fly across the students.

"He must be a senior from the uni, but I have never seen him on stage before," Sakura regarded thoughtfully with a finger to her chin.

"I hate to admit, but that orange punk is something," Naruto begrudgingly admitted as he crossed his arms and peered at his conspicuous studs.

"How brazen; he must be incredibly talented to be excused for having those earrings _and _nose-rings. I wonder if he's secretly an underworld boss; he has that bad boy vibe going about him," Ino assessed while eyeing critically at his general appearance. She frowned confusingly, and began looking to and forth from Pein to Naruto.

"Well, then he must be a smart one, since he _is_ in Kizuna Uni," Sakura expressed sincerely, the back of her mind wondering if like Kabuto, he was messing in illicit activities.

"His loud fashion style and striking hair colour reminds me of you, Naruto. But other than that, you two are nothing alike! " Ino commented suddenly.

"Of course, hardly anyone can live up to my coolness."

"You mean klutz-ness?"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Everyone." At his passive-aggressive command, the crowd's burble gave way to curious stares.

"It's starting," Naruto whispered superfluously, earning two glares in return.

"Thank You. Today, I have two announcements to make. The first being that our current Principal Sarutobi Hiruzen-san, has decided to retire from his position and will take on the Chairperson's role to continue supporting and oversee on the institution's major affairs."

"That's so sudden!"

"About time… Ouch! Sakura-chan!"

"However, we cannot afford to leave a position of authority vacant, which brings me to the second announcement…" Pein dragged on, taking delight in capturing everyone's undivided attention.

"Man, I really hate the suspense…." Ino mumbled under her breath.

"Is he done with those dramatic pauses?" Pein, aware of the rising commotion, pressed on with his cavernous tone.

"May I have the honour to invite our newly appointed Principal on stage…"

"He must be some retired geezer with nothing better to do," Ino wagered to a sniggering Sakura.

"Please put your hands together for… Namikaze Minato," Pein proclaimed while signalling him to come on stage.

"WHAT?!" Naruto and Sakura chorused as they shot to their feet simultaneously, gripping onto the backrest in front of their seats. The assemblage erupted into a thunderous plaudit as their former Secretary Officer was escorted on stage by another student. He delivered a firm handshake to Pein before taking over his spot behind the podium.

"ER-HEMMMMMM." His hawking into the mike resulted in a high-pitch reverberation, splitting ears and sending a chill throughout the mass. The students cupped their ears in agony and groans as they waited for a few pained seconds, before the resonance subsided into nothing but a nasty memory. Minato was about to clear his throat again, but seeing the panic-stricken expressions of several staffs in the front row, thought the better of it and broke into a silly grin instead.

"Ah, that was disastrous… I'm really getting too old for this eh?" His inauguration speech was interrupted when he noticed a blonde on his feet, pointing an accusing finger at his direction.

"DAAAAAAD?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON STAGE?" A pink head whom he assumed to be Sakura, was summoning her worth of female brute force, desperately trying to pull Naruto back to his seat in vain. From his vantage point, it was a comic relief for his tingling nerves.

"Ah, what was I saying about being too old? Even my son wants me off stage to go grocery shopping and buy his favourite ramen," Minato chortled as the audience's attention settled on Naruto.

"GET YOUR ASS BACK DOWN!" The crowd escalated into a laughing fit when Sakura finally managed to get Naruto to suck up and behaved. When she figured that her unglamorous shout resounded throughout the auditorium, her faced turned as pink as her hair and she quickly retreated into the seat to make herself as small as she could. Minato shook his head at what could he could dismiss as a couple's public bicker, before resuming his speech.

"Let me do a brief introduction – my name is Namikaze Minato, as most of you would have known, and for some I have the privilege to meet and talk with personally," He paused to send a wink in Sakura's direction, "And for the past five years, I've been holed up in the Secretary Officer, dealing with what you would all call 'the boring office stuffs.'" The congregation laughed and mumbled their sympathies.

"However, it was through these duties that allowed me to know every one of you seated here, as I filed and watched your growth by the side-lines year by year. Now, Hiruzen-san has decided that I have done more than enough, and when I thought that he finally had enough of my tardiness and was going to give me the boot this morning…" He chuckled along with a knowing Hiruzen, who was leaning against the side pillar and observing his reliable assistant with pride. He inhaled a lungful of air before continuing.

"He decided that I'm still not doing enough, and wants to offer me a bigger office," He lamented, but there was no escaping the playful sparkle in his eyes. Hiruzen could not resist Minato's indirect protest and released an audible 'tsk' from his location.

"So what does being the Principal entails really? Well, it certainly means more responsibility, more work. But the best part would be I will have more say; don't think I heaven read those feedback forms you guys think were just for show. I'm in the midst of considering the extension of break time…" He revealed in a pondering aloud manner, eliciting whoops of cheers from his spontaneous audience, both students and staff alike, and a mock scowl from Hiruzen at his 'audacity.'

"…Which I'll have to discuss with our dear Chairperson and committee and sort out the finer details, so no promises there. Anyway, I look forward to continue working with every one of you seated here, and I'm really thankful for your tolerance towards my shortcomings during my line of service. I'll be honoured if you all will continue to look out for me too. That's all for my part." The crowd reciprocated his heartfelt message with a standing ovation as he bowed humbly before exiting the stage.

"Wow, Minato-sensei sure is amazing ne?" Sakura commended after they were seated back down again.

"Of course he is! He's _my _Dad for a reason!" Naruto retorted with a puff to his chest, swelling in obvious pride.

"And just a while ago, you were hollering your ass off and making a big show of what's his deal on stage…" Ino 'muttered,' once again ticking Naruto off.

"I-I was just surprised, okay? He could have at least given me a heads up this morning, that sneaky dude…"

As Pein reappeared to deliver the conclusion for today's assembly, a tier above the high school chatty birds towards the east of the stage, the APEX students watched on in varying degrees of fascination and boredom.

"Nagato is so self-possessed and commanding down there, isn't he?" Konan gushed in her abashed manner, her hazel eyes speaking of unadulterated admiration and pride.

"Well, this is Pein we are talking about, the prodigy of Mass Communications, hmm," Deidara reasoned beside her.

"It's just honeyed words and smooth-talking in front of a bunch of brats and overworked staffs; he knew people dig blarney and he's just exploiting that to his advantage," Kisame mentioned causally next to Itachi, and Itachi could not help but agree with him.

"Hmm, kind of like you sweet-talking your 'beauty' over the phone to pacify her anger- Whoa I meant no ill, Kisame-san, please don't glare at me like that," Deidara pleaded as he raised his hands in mock surrender.

"You idiot; you hadn't an ounce of idea of how 'smooth-talking' works, do you Deidara?" Sasori chided for his tactlessness. He turned away to text something on his phone before he could notice a gloominess that suddenly shrouded over Deidara's sunny disposition.

"Yea, I don't, Sasori-danna."

* * *

A few hours whisked by and it was soon lunch time. Naruto informed the ladies that he would be hanging with Sasuke and some other boys from their class, waved them off and went on ahead. At the mention of Sasuke's name, Sakura's ear perked up and she consciously swallowed back what remained of her pride as the faithful memory from yesterday sprang back up.

She pinched the skin between her brows to repress the shameful rejection, not quite ready to put it out in the open and to discuss it with her girls yet. Maybe after a few weeks of wallowing in self-pity and embarrassment over what was never meant to be, she could causally allude at that one time where she unintentionally confessed to the boy she had set her sights on for three years during her idol's concert, then conveniently dropping the name Sasuke somewhere along her recount. The girls would be sure to convince her that it was a cause of good riddance, that the better had yet to come and it was right to not get hung up over spilt milk.

She might even joke about it with Sasuke and they would chalk the incident up as being drunk on Itachi's song, as everyone knew booze could do funny things to one's mind.

That was the plan.

She was digging her bag for her wallet, and ushered Ino and Hinata on that she would catch up in a jiffy. After dumping everything out, she crouched down to pick up her fallen notebook and there she found her damn wallet, playing hide and seek with her underneath her chair. She retrieved it and dusted it along the way out…

…And came face to face with the boy who was never meant to be.

"Sa-" Without a word, he moved passed her into the classroom. She heard some shuffling and a soft thud before he slid passed her again without acknowledging her presence. Her smile was mid-froze and it slowly gave way to downturn despair and droopy eyelids. She was certain they made eye contact when she first exited the classroom, but the moment was too fleeting and besides, why would he deliberately ignore her?

_All I did was just to put my heart out for you to see, and have it stuffed back down my throat, then be made aware of your steadfast love to your older brother. Surely it was nothing worth turning us into awkward strangers, who had revealed too much to the other half to save for future embarrassments?_

Blinking back the stinging sensation protesting behind her eyelids, she pushed up her chin and marched towards her friends, wishing very much that this whole episode could be forgotten and be spared from clouding her thoughts any further.

"H-Hey! Let's head over to the uni caferteria!"

"Uh-huh… Wasn't that the plan all along?" Ino countered while turning to Hinata for confirmation.

"I know! I just… I just can't wait to check out that new dude! You know, the one who looked like my favourite idol?" Sakura tittered as she eagerly pushed them down the stairs.

There was no way she was admitting that it was to avoid seeing Sasuke.

A look past between the two girls, one that she was determined to overlook. After all, it was not lost on her that she was the one that made a big deal of telling them off of what a big deal _they_ were making of the lookalike's arrival.

* * *

There was no denying the thrill that travelled through her body at the sight of her morning ride ensconced on the bench at the far-east corner of the cafeteria, where he was nodding away to what the burly guy was speaking next to him. She bit back the smile threatening to surface, and blended into the throng of moving crowd, her earlier dampened mood picking itself up at the reminder of being in those warm arms a few hours ago.

Luckily for her, the Western store was on the western side, and what with the ridiculous long queue from its adjoining vendor, it eliminated the chance of her being spotted. She gleefully fixed herself to the queue end. She scanned the seats for Ino, wondering which 'good view' she had secured for them today, and risked her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.

She was slouching and texting away at a seat just five tables away from Itachi, and right in his line of vision! _Gah! What is she thinking? Wasn't she the one always going on about subtly_?

There was no way those astute eyes of his would miss her, not unless she wore a cap. She darted a careful eye in his direction again, and she could make out the gentle swirling of his dark fringe swaying at his head movement. _Good, keep him occupied, big guy_.

She caught a movement at her peripheral vision, and saw Ino waving conspicuously at her. She lowered herself to avoid getting spotted despite her hidden location, and gestured for her to quit her wave with an anxious frown. Ino responded with a generous smile and pointed animatedly at Itachi's direction. She returned with a fretful 'OK' hand sign, and hurriedly urged her to put her hands down. Sakura sighed inwardly; maybe they should not have come here after all.

After a few minutes of dining in peace and gorging themselves off the food that seemed to grow more appetising each passing day, Ino's celestial blue eyes expanded as she frantically fanned the girls for their attention.

"L-Look! A girl just approached him! The gall of her…" She hissed and pointed towards Itachi's direction.

"Ino!" Hinata gasped at her cutting tone, turning to Sakura for support.

"I think that's just his classmate, you're overreacting," Sakura suggested offhandedly, shrugging as though there was nothing worth fussing over. Taking a biting off the juicy chicken cutlet, she snuck a glimpse with an upward roll, secretly intrigued by this supposedly 'classmate.' Ino harrumphed at her wishful thinking, her shrewd eyes not once leaving Itachi.

"Nice try, Sa-chan. Oh my god," She paused to grip onto Sakura's wrist before continuing, "Is- Is she giving him a letter? A love letter?! Hinata! Quick use your 20/20 vision to see what's written on it!" Hinata slanted her eyes apologetically at Ino, at a lost.

"Ummm…"

"T-That could be a detention letter for all you know. Or a thank you note for his help?"

"Ummm…" It was Ino's turn to slant her eyes at her, evidently reflecting the words 'Pitiful Sakura' into her jade orbs.

"I-I think they are taking pictures together…"

"WHAT?!" Ino and Sakura bawled simultaneously, their disbelieving eyes taking in the mysterious girl's attempt to lean cheek to cheek with a visibly fraught Itachi, though the latter was only apparent to Sakura. She knew how much he valued personal boundary (which explained her hysteria this morning at finding out how she subjected him to practically _touching_ her breast without his consent, despite her oblivion to this whole episode) and how that ignorant girl was obviously missing it as she merrily clicked away on her phone's camera. She smirked at how edgy he was, taking delight at how the girl's move backfired so badly.

"She obviously has mistaken him as Kanae Itachi, but despite his countless denial, she wasn't buying it and that's why she got so bold and felt comfortable to take picture with him…"

"Sakura…"

"Yes?" She ceased her babbling and found two pairs of knowing eyes on her slightly agitated ones.

"You're trying too hard. Just admit it – you're jealous."

* * *

After their previous impromptu showdown at the field, Kakashi decided that it was to their benefit to pair them up for practice spars. Having been the club advisor of Taijutsu for five years, he knew the kind of chemistry that the duo displayed was few and far between, and he was not willing to lose that spark by separating them. Typically, he would appoint someone with a similar built and skill set as Itachi, but that appeared to be redundant as he observed the pair already catching on to one another's rhythm and attack patterns.

Itachi delivered a punch as he simultaneously blocked a sweeping side kick from Sasuke, part of his attention aroused by something from the bleachers. Sasuke noticed his diverted concentration when Itachi failed to counter-attack his kick by attacking his weaker standing leg.

"What's wrong?"

"Kakashi-san's watching us like a hawk," He answered as he did a back-flip to momentarily create some distance between them. After determining his weaker arm and leg, he took advantage of the gap and charged towards him, aiming for his left forearm.

"You're new; he's assessing your capabilities and mentally calculating the amount of training you need before he can send you for your first local friendly," Sasuke explained, already anticipating that he would attempt to break through his weaker defence and twisted his body just in time to shield his onslaught of jabs.

"Ho… You seem to know him well, Sasuke."

"Well, when you spend almost every of your afternoon getting the wind knocked out of you for three years, you tend to know more about that person than yourself," Sasuke huffed out in a pant as he wiped off a blood stain from the corner of his lips.

"Does that mean… Your original sparring partner was…"

"Kakashi, that's right. Every other person that I sparred with would either leave the training with multiple bruises or a damaged ego, and usually the latter would not turn up for the next session. It's a shame, really," Sasuke shrugged, rapidly forming an 'X' with his forearms in front of his face to shelter against Itachi's impressive tornado kick, one that even till now, he could not deliver with the force similar to the one Itachi had landed on him. Taken aback by the unexpected impact, he slid a few feet back from where he originally stood and would have fallen on his butt if not for his semi-crouched position.

"You sure are confident of your skills huh, Sasuke," Itachi quipped as he dusted his hands, rotated his shoulder blades and headed in the opposite direction of Sasuke.

"Ita- Hey! Where are you going?" Itachi stopped in his tracks and cocked his head at his official taijutsu partner, who was rubbing absent-mindedly at his wrist. He caught his hesitation at addressing him by his name, and was slightly perturbed by what that was doing to his mind. He was not irrational to the point of deceiving himself to believe that that was the same Sasuke that he knew. He was definitely not the same frisky adolescent that had once fondly called him "Nii-san, nii-san" like a spell that would without a doubt free him of his predicaments. He was certainly not that current grumpy and pompous teenager who had grew to despise him to the Earth's core and spat out his name distastefully, his tone dripping venom and entire body reeking of hatred.

However, a foolish part of him lying deep in the recesses of his mind, willed him to be, and was hurt by his hesitation of acknowledging him.

"To the coolers. Wanna join me?" He was not expecting a response; this was Sasuke after all, but when he heard the crunching of his feet against the soft and ticklish grasses, it was impossible to dismiss the sudden gaiety that was showing in Itachi's weary eyes.

As Sasuke bent to catch the jet of chilly water, his long fringe went into his mouth. Itachi instinctively reached out to brush the stray strands away and tucked them behind his ear, before he dropped his hand and stared across the field.

Sasuke nearly flinched at the oncoming contact, but when his warm fingers grazed his topmost cheek, he was mentally surprised by how gentle his touch was. What he found most startling was the natural way he went about sweeping those locks away, as though he was _unconscious _of his action.

They agreed to take a short break and settled down along the vacant concrete steps of the sitting area.

"I presumed this is your final year?" Itachi began as they watched the rest of their club members firing away at their opponents under the breezy afternoon wind.

"Yea, then maybe after that I will quit school and go be a back-up singer, or something," Sasuke joked dryly, the humour not reaching his ebony orbs.

"What's with the singer deal?" Sasuke turned and caught the bafflement dancing behind his concerned eyes, and had to quash the sneer threatening to overcome his face.

"You know what? That was same reaction and expression I gave when he told Father that he wanted to be a singer. I didn't even hear of it until I overheard their conversation, what a joke," He spat out the last few words, his annoyance at the memory of being left out apparent beneath those deep frowns and hard eyes.

"By 'he,' are you referring to your older brother?"

"That's what it said on my birth certificate. Sometimes I'm not sure if he remembers he has a brother, or whether he's aware that he's a Brother." He prodded his chin onto his palm, the thought of him irked his nerves yet there was always the inexplicable yearning lingering.

"I'm sure he loves you, even if he doesn't show it."

"Every time I mull over the same few questions – why? Why singer? Why didn't he tell me? Why leave me alone? _Why the sudden change_?" He lifted his chin and let his arms dropped onto his knees, where he leaned heavily on them and focused on an imaginary spot across the field. Why was he even discussing his brother was beyond him.

"Surely you must hate him, your older brother," Itachi replied instead, overcome with the vague impression that he had a similar conversation with Sasuke back before he betrayed his village. Sasuke remained silent, though Itachi could sense that he had broken Sasuke out of his train of heated thoughts.

"I can't say it's okay because I'm not him; I do not know of his intentions nor do I know him in person. However, there's one thing I can say for certain," He made sure to hold his gaze before he proceeded, "He did not forget who his is, who you are and who you are to him. Even if he cannot be physically here with you, you'll always be in his thoughts and everywhere he goes."

"How do you know that? It all sounded so ideal, too unrealistic," Sasuke retorted, but faltered at the tender faraway look that suddenly overtook Itachi.

"Back at where I came from, I have a little brother who's around the same as you. If your brother is anything like you described him to be, then I can somehow understand his thoughts. We would want the best for our little brothers, even if it means being on the receiving end of their wrath," Itachi said, his composure washed in serenity and lips turned up slightly by the corners. He briefly closed his eyes to seal off the image of the younger Sasuke running towards him, and turned to look at Kanae Sasuke, who was almost of equal eye level as him.

"After all, that's what big brothers are for."

* * *

She was required to conduct a routine check on all fifth floor patients, who were situated in single wards and happened to be mostly elderlies. She broke into a grin; the silver generation were by her fondest patients. Even though they could be snappy and demanding at times, they never ceased to amaze her with their constant wisecracking and open defiance to Doctors, sometimes even to Tsunade herself.

"Chiyo-baasan?"

"Sakura, is that you? Don't hide behind the doors; I'm not going to bite you off!"

"I'm not hiding! I just don't want to disturb you in case you're asleep."

"That's sweet of you," Chiyo said with smiling eyes. Sakura walked over the foot of her bed to pick up her health chart, and fired the standard but mandatory questions. Sakura swallowed her smirk as Chiyo rolled her eyes at some of her incriminating questions, in particular to the one pertaining to her poorly concealed sweet tooth. After she was done with her interrogation, she sank down by the bedside and cupped her wrinkled but warm hands in her smooth ones.

"You seemed to be in a fine mood today, Chiyo-baasan."

"Are you implying that I'm usually tetchy? I'm just kidding. Well, my godson is dropping by after school today, and he uh, promised a little treat which I can't wait to find out what," Chiyo evaded her eyes at the mention of 'treats,' and Sakura's eyes narrowed at her fidgeting fingers. However, she was reluctant to ruin her felicity and wisely moved on to another topic.

"Your godson? That's nice of him, to visit you. It's sad that these days filial piety is being treated flippantly, when it should have been immanent," Sakura reflected as she looked out of the window, reeling in compunction of her deceased parents.

"Well, he certainly is. When he got wind of my malady and knew that I had to travel to the Leaf for treatment to this silly ailment, he had the gall to quit school and accompany me here, without my prior consent! It was through many persuasions and compromises later that I agreed to his stay when he acceded to enrol in a school here."

"W-Wow, I never know there was someone as loving as your godson around! It's a relief; to know that you have a dependable and devoted kin within reach, I'm happy for you."

"I have to agree I'm fortunate, hmm. Well, it's almost time that my cute little godson is arriving; why not you stay around and I shall introduce him to you? He may appear aloof but he's a real sweetie inside," Chiyo emphasised with a squirm of her body.

"Ahhh, now I can't wait! I'm sure he is, based on your description of him!" Sakura assured both of them, as her mind began conjuring images of an unimpeachable toddler with a toothy grin and ruffled hair, wearing baggy jeans. As though confronted with clairvoyance, there was a faint sound of shuffling footsteps that was growing louder as it neared Chiyo's ward.

"That must be him, your cute little godson!"

"Chiyo-baasan?"

"Hai, I'm here come on in!" Sakura raised her brows; her godson had a surprisingly hollow voice. She mentally shook her head – it must be his fatuous way of making her laugh. She stroked Chiyo's palms tenderly, beaming down at her renewed peppy mien.

"Sorry I'm late- oh I didn't know there's someone here…" When their eyes met in a heart-stopping moment, Sakura's jaw slackened while hey eyes registered incredulity at the _boy _nearly two heads taller than her sitting form.

"SAGAARA?!" They pointed at one another as they squalled in unison.

"You're the 'cute little godson'?"

"You're working here?" They instantaneously flipped their head to their fascinated ward/ godmother, who burst out in spontaneous cachinnate.

"So you two know each other already? Youngsters these days sure are proactive…"

"Well, I don't know what you are thinking now, Chiyo-baasan, but Mr. Godson here is my classmate…"

"And Sakura-san has been gracious towards me since we first met on the bus," Gaara finished for her, and Sakura ducked her head in demure at his unexpected compliment.

"Hoo, I'm extremely glad to see you two are on good terms!" Chiyo nodded approvingly at the scene that unfolded in front of her, but her attention quickly diverted to the white plastic bag on Gaara's hand. Catching her interest, Gaara manoeuvred to the opposite side of the bed and sat at the spare chair before passing her the bag of treats.

Before Chiyo dove to scout its contents, she felt Sakura's blistering gaze on her, and discreetly tucked everything back and kept the bag inside the bedside cupboard. She gave an unobtrusive cough, and turned to engage Gaara in tattle of his day. She gave them a moment of quality time while she went around and probed and inspected the machineries, leaving and returning with refills and replenishment of miscellaneous. Sensing the comfortable silence that had descended between them, she took the chance and signalled for Gaara to come out with her.

"Gaara-san I'm so shocked! From the way she told me I was expecting a chubby little boy!"

"Chiyo-baasan is always going on about an accommodating nurse who occasionally holds conversation with her… I wouldn't have expected…" As they contemplated over what a sport they had been made, the cold and pristine corridor suddenly morphed into a convivial gathering spot, and they ensconced by the wall on the floor before continuing.

"Oh so! This is the mystery woman who made you stop, drop and travel all the way here?"

"You got me. Her only remaining kin at Sand is her brother, who is inconvenienced by old age and could not afford the tedious trip here. It wasn't so much of an option as it is a given that I must be there for her," Gaara concluded.

"I see… Gaara-san, you are really a wonderful person; I'm honoured to be seated next to you in class…"

"Surely you jest, my Lady," Gaara replied, mimicking a palace subordinate completed with a humble bow. They chatted for a few pleasant minutes, before Sakura recalled the real reason for summoning him.

"Gaara-san, I'm sure you are aware of Chiyo-baasan's conditions; her sugar intake needs to be carefully monitored and controlled if not her diabetes may take a turn for the worse," Sakura regarded Gaara gravely.

"Yes I'm aware of that-"

"Then you shouldn't be making promises of bringing her treats-"

"Promise? I made no such promises. She pleaded and harassed me over numerous phone calls, before I was coerced to submit to her request, if not she would refuse any more treatments," Gaara revealed with a dreadful expression.

"What? If that's the case, then I assumed you bought her those organic sugars-free-" _So Chiyo-baasan lied to me, should have guessed_!

"She specifically requested for sugar-glazed gummies, so there wasn't much choices left…" Gaara admitted apologetically as Sakura released a defeated sigh. She really needed to stop pampering her before it was too late.

* * *

Her eyes widened at the blue envelope sitting innocently on the desk. She made a hasty glance at her surroundings before she cautiously picked it up by the edge and took a surreptitious sniff. She wrinkled her nose in distaste at the rosy scent, and quickly set it down at the sound of the washroom door opening.

She hopped onto the bed and slotted herself beneath the blanket as he sauntered in and flicked off the lights.

"Good night, Itachi."

"Night, Sakura." Her raging curiosity was preventing her from being swiped off into her sleep-land, and after opening and closing her mouth like a fish for a few agonising seconds, she popped the question.

"… What's that envelope?" She waited for his reply with bated breath.

"What envelope… You mean the one on the desk? It's just a silly prank."

"Oh… Huh?" He rolled himself off from the sleeping bag and retrieved it, passing on to a visibly startled Sakura. She gingerly opened the flap and slipped out the equally heavily scented letter within.

_Hi Uchiha-san!_

_Umm, please don't be shocked when you read this, because you really have no reason to be. From the moment I saw you, I was catapulted away from reality at your flawless beauty and cool demeanour. Never will I imagine being able to meet someone as stunning as yourself, and if you do not mind, please accept a date with me to the Annual Hanami at Yoyogi Park on next Tuesday. If you do not reply to this letter, I'll take that you consent to this. See you 5pm at Harajuku Station then!_

_Xoxo_

_Suzumi_

Sakura refolded the letter and calmly inserted it back into the envelope, feeling speechless. This for one was obviously a confession letter.

"… Are you going to show up for this?"

"Of course not – I do not even know this Suzumi person, and don't you think it's strange that she would invite a total stranger with her to such festival?" Itachi reasoned, bumped up by this absurd situation. Sakura peered into the darkness at those serious eyes with a killer intelligence that was unable to comprehend a plain confession from a mundane case of girl infatuation.

"Actually, it is nothing strange; you are just overthinking things, Itachi. She asked you out because she likes you, period." Sakura answered plainly, if not grudgingly.

"Now that's even stranger; she does not even know me, of what qualities do I hold in her knowledge to have her develop such feelings?" He shook his head against the pillow. She sat unmoving on her bed and watched him pulsed his lips.

Sakura was dumbstruck on several occasions; like when Naruto cut in during one of her rare and intense conversations with Sasuke, or when she caught Deidara making out with Ino three years ago by the bookshelves in the high school library.

Never did she find herself this inarticulate to this intelligent being who could come up with a dozen strategies to assassinate an enemy in seconds but unable to differentiate a date request from a prank.

"I'll just tell her that I'm going with you, and that she should find a better partner to go with."

Make that two times in a roll.

* * *

**Many thanks to **Heiwa no Hato **for your constructive comments; it really helped a lot for the upcoming chapter and straightening the direction of this story.**


	12. How to Fasten A Seatbelt

**Chapter11 Recall:**

Sakura got a personal 'ride' from Itachi to school; a promotion for Minato, Sakura gets the cold treatment from Sasuke (what's new), a HTHT between Itachi and modern Sasuke and an unexpected (albeit indirect) date (?) with Itachi.

* * *

**Chapter12 – How to Fasten A Seatbelt**

Tapping his admin card on the sensor, the door released a 'bip' sound before it slid aside. Itachi welcomed the cool gush of air as he stepped into the university's library. He stood still on the entrance mat, scanning and drinking in the huge and pristine white space in awe. Located on the topmost floor of the building, it boasted a high ceiling with arched white pillars and white bookshelves, in stark contrast against the black carpeted floor.

Slipping the card into his breast pocket, he made his way towards the service counter.

"_Come in." At Minato's prompt, Itachi cleared his throat and entered through the door labelled 'Principal's Office.' He was busy tidying the document laden desk, steadying and watching the wobbly pillars with jittery eyes .Itachi mentally smiled, noted that nothing changed other than the office and height of the piles._

"_Good morning, Minato-san, you were looking for me?" Minato darted his head up, his eyes instantly relaxed and smiled a smile as warm as the sunlight filtering through the window behind him._

"_Ah, Itachi ka? Good morning indeed. Why are you standing behind the chair? Come on have a seat." Itachi nodded and made himself comfortable on the cushioned chair._

"_Congratulations on your promotion, Minato-san." Minato laughed softly and humbly shook Itachi's outstretched hand._

"_Thank You, though you must be thinking whether this school is living up to its expectations," He quipped much to Itachi's confusion._

"_What do you mean…? Oh, what are you saying, Minato-san? Even though I just joined, I have zero qualms about your capabilities, much less doubt your competency as the leader of this school," Itachi countered ardently._

"_I-Is that so? Well, thank you Itachi. I'm glad that I made such a good impression on you," Minato replied behind his still surprised face. "Anyway, I called you here to pass you this." Itachi looked down on the red and gold card between his fingers._

"_This is a specially generated admin card that is unique to each students and staffs. It is used for identification purposes and access to restricted areas within the uni."_

"_What kind of restricted areas?"_

"_For instance, the computer labs, gymnasium, library…" At his quizzical expression, Minato smiled gently._

"_This is to protect our student's privilege and ensure that they get to use what they paid for."_

"_Were there used to be a lot of high schoolers hoarding the uni's facilities?"_

"_Something like that." Briefly closing his eyes, he motioned for Itachi to lean forward._

"_Just between you and me, every card is infused with a drop of the owner's blood to eliminate chances of forgery; you know what this means right, Itachi?" Itachi's face remained dead serious while Minato slipped a smile and nodded to the card._

"_Look after the card, or you'll be looking at an appointment to the Infirmary."_

* * *

_On the surface it may appear that the school is protecting the student's rights, but the type of system erected is no doubt to monitor the access in and out of the library_... But to his credit, he was able to maintain a poker-face throughout the conversation. As though being a 'Graduate' from a ninja academy was not flashy enough; the last thing he needed was another reason to watch him.

_It was hard to fathom the modern era resorting to such primitive methods of identification - they are definitely hiding something._

"I'm looking for the History section; may I know where it is?" Itachi watched as the girl behind the counter registered shock at someone talking to her. From the way her widened eyes enlarged in recognition, he had to resist from releasing a narked sigh. _Bearing resemblance to that singer is starting get on my nerves_.

"So, do you know where that is?" He repeated when there was no response from the visibly stunned girl, and noted her high school uniform. He wondered if library club members were issued a separate pass for access, since this library was strictly for uni students.

"O-Oh, yes I do! S-so sorry… Facing the shelves, you take a right turn and turn right again when you reach the end. From there the fourth shelf to the left will be the section you requested." Amazingly, the flustered girl was able to answer without stumbling over her words, as the persistent blush threatened to take over her consciousness. Itachi mentally frowned, but nodded his thanks before moving as per directed.

The place was littered with students, many choosing to camp by the shelves either leaning against the shelves or glued to the floor in favour of the seating areas provided. He quickly located the shelf, this time frowning physically at the jarring sign that denoted the directed bookshelf.

"If you are looking for the History section, it's three shelves down. Bloody contractors got the signs mixed up," A muffled gruff voice came from the back of the shelf, and his frowned deepened at its familiarity. The man stepped out from between the shelves and revealed himself to be a student, with notable sewed scar marks running along his tanned skin and half of his face hidden behind a grey mask.

"Thank You."

"You are the new student who joined the APEX class?" He asked as Itachi was walking away. At his inquiry, he stopped and turned around. Their eyes met and he nodded.

"So I assumed you know Deidara." Itachi also assumed news of his arrival spread even as he was roaming the library. Apparently news about him never ceased to spread, even across the Universe.

"That zealous guy with a fragrance? Yea, what about him?" Intrigued by the sudden turn of the conversation, he held the mysterious guy's emerald orbs and waited.

"You are not the first to mention his… Disturbing scent; someone needs to talk to him soon," He answered with a chortle before continuing, "I don't usually do this, at least not without a fee, but take it as a welcome gift. Do not ever lend him your money, no, anything for that matter. You won't get it back," He concluded sombrely, causing Itachi to wonder at his unknown traumatic experience with Deidara.

"Thank You…"

"Kakuzu. I guess I'll see you around, Uchiha Itachi." Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly at the sinister edge in his words, but Kakuzu's attention had already returned to the hardcover in his hands. As he was turning away, the girl from the counter came barrelling along the lane, nearly crushing into Itachi.

"A-Ano! I'm so sorry I got the Business and History bookshelves confused! I-It's actually three shelves down…" Itachi shook his head and gave her a hint of a smile.

"No worries, we're all bound to make mistakes; you did what you have to." The girl was left gaping at his retreating back, filled with self-reproach and appreciation for his kind overlook.

"Maybe you should take that as a cue to get the signboards switched, Hyuuga-san." The intrusion of the throaty voice caused her to jump, and muttering another apology to the floor, she scampered back and contacted the library maintenance crew.

True to both of their words, he finally arrived at his destination, and to his luck, he was the only occupant in this section. His hands immediately shot out to slot out a forest green paper back etched with the Konoha leaf symbol on its cover. His first thought was it smelt of age, but he recalled the incident in the public library. Leaking some of his chakra into the papers, he waited for a moment, but could not sense any reaction. Mentally nodding in approval, he began to peruse "Life in Konoha - Ninja as an Occupation," the tiny Kranji texts causing him to squirm in discomfort.

… _To aid in their tiresome and often treacherous missions, the ninjas of Konoha underwent quotidian trainings and perilous trials to ensure maximum proficiency and minimum rate of failure, making Konoha one of the most feared and sought-after village for hiring qualified ninjas._

He continued and repeated this process for almost all the books across the shelf, most of them replicas of what he had read and paraphrased. What unsettled him was the hasty generalisation of several facts, especially when they were bordering onto the omitted truths, but was met with red herring.

…_. They were said to practice Secret Techniques that were passed down from generations to generations, with skills that were exclusive to the clan and Konoha. Countless battles over the centuries were as a result of trying to obtain these classified techniques._

… _Konoha also boasted the finest medicinal practitioner and medical ninjas of across The Five Great Shinobi Nations. Apart from being adroit in battlefields, their delicate and efficient administration of first-aids kept the soldiers strong on their feet and spurred to emerge victorious for Konoha._

Itachi slapped the last book shut and sighed in stupefaction. _All these redundant genteelism – secret techniques, trials and first-aids; what's wrong with dojutsu, moulding chakra and medical ninjutsu? Who, or why, were the elders hiding these facts_?

* * *

_Earlier today…_

"Sasori-danna, I changed my mind, let's go back-"

"Don't make me castrate you in the middle of the walkway." At the warning and baleful glance in his direction, Deidara shoved his hands into his pants and sulked all the way to the high school's canteen.

"Wait, you don't really mean that do you, danna?" When Deidara casually mentioned about getting sick of the uni cafeteria and suggested visiting their sister institution, he was not really expecting anyone to comply with his needs, nor Sasori agreeing to tag along.

They were causing quite a commotion, but then anytime when university students visited the canteen, it would typically stir up the restless high schoolers.

People seemed to anticipate their arrival even moments before they stepped into the canteen. Daydreaming students who happened to glance out of the window and happened upon them, frantically texted their pals who were having lunch break, who then informed their lunch mates, and so forth.

Both were aware of the attention they were attracting, and each had their own technique to handling limelight. While Sasori maintained his nonchalant poise and was hell-bent on getting his taste bud satisfied and stomach pacified, his bosom buddy was busy winking to any ladies who made eye contact with him.

"You go and find seats; I'll go take my order first-"

"Don't fret, we have plenty of places to rest our sore butts," Deidara assured, gesturing to a few groups of eyeing ladies who were dedicated to making spaces to fit the boys. Sasori sighed and mentally gagged at the lady's taste (or lack of) in men and went towards the food vendor. Since he made it a point to show on his face that he was not interested, if not _he _would be the one they would be ogling at, not _him_.

"You don't really think you are a celebrity, Deidara."

"Don't be a spoilsport, danna. Just live in the moment, hmm!" He said cheerfully when he caught up behind him in the queue. He merrily looked around for a familiar face, when she ghosted passed him. Instinctively, he shot out his hand to grip her arm.

"Not going to say hi to your ex-neighbour, hmm?"

"Dei! What are you doing here?" She began to look around frantically.

"Aw, what do you mean by that? I miss you so I came to see you, hmm," Deidara confirmed with a firm nod, to a part-sceptical and part-disappointed Sakura when Itachi was nowhere in sight. She held his eyes as though trying to see through his façade, and smirked.

"Oh who are you lying to? You just want to see Ino," She replied eventually with an off-handed shrug.

"Who's that?" Sasori's deep voice rang out behind Deidara's frame and voluminous hair, startling Sakura. Seeing Deidara was understandable, but Sasori too? She glanced at the Chinese noodles store, and her cynicism towards him increased by tenfold. Since when did Sasori do _Chinese_?

"Oh, let me introduce, this is Sakura-chan, and Sakura-chan this is-"

"Not her; I'm talking about who she mentioned," He interrupted curtly.

"Oh hey Sasori-san! Ino is my classmate and best friend, and Dei's-"

"What? You two know each other?"

"I see. That's why this idiot insisted on coming here. Did you know he nearly had a panic attack at the canteen entrance and wanted to go back after coming all the way here?"

"Hey- What? I so did not have a panic attack-"

"Ahh that's so typical of him... To suggest something and drawing out half way..." Sakura drawled, eyeing Deidara and willing the ditching incident at the cafe to resurface and to draw out some guilt in him. Sasori turned to him for an explanation.

"Oh, so now you two decided to stop ignoring me huh? Sakura-chan, I've explained a hundred times there was an emergency at home, and w-who said I came here to see her? It's not like I want to see her or anything…" Deidara trailed off, suddenly interested in the courtyard's scenery.

"Riggggght…" They were patronising him, and he knew he was losing the battle. Sakura's heart reached out to him, and she toyed with the idea lolling in her head.

"You know what; I've decided to help you. I have let this charade gone on far too long. So you want to see her; she's over there by the pillar by the way," She discreetly pointed with her thumb. "But seeing is not enough, you need to act on what you see and I have just the excuse for you," Sakura began enigmatically.

"And that is…" Deidara asked uncertainly as Sasori ordered his _Chinese _dumplings noodle while sticking one ear in their conversation.

"The Annual Hanami next Tuesday! You can ask her to be your date," Sakura exclaimed as she writhed at her brilliant idea.

"A-Ask her out huh? Haven done that in ages…" Sakura took the fact that he was pondering the suggestion as a good sign and nodded on encouragingly. Sasori scowled, as though bitten by a scorpion.

"And I was wondering what ingenious idea you've had. I don't even see the purpose of this festival, standing around to watch _sakura_ fall off and get swept away by wind. Before you know it, they're all gone, pointless," Sasori added as he twisted around to shake his head disapprovingly at Sakura.

"Back off, Sasori-danna. I-I think this is a perfect idea, Sakura-chan. I might finally have the opportunity to talk to her while admiring this true art by nature-"

"_True art_? You can't be serious."

"W-Well, and if things don't turn out so well, I can always go with you," Deidara commented as he engaged her in an affable one arm hug.

"E-EH? S-Sure, Dei!" She was going to make sure that Ino would accept his date, and felt that it would then be redundant to reveal that she was already going with someone else.

"… The Annual Hanami _is _the epitome of transient beauty and is in line with my belief of art as ephemeral… This spring shall be _my _springtime of love!" Crushing Sakura with a bear hug, Deidara whispered his fervent gratitude, and she helplessly returned his affection, grinning sheepishly at an irked Sasori. He crossed his arms while drumming his fingers impatiently, waiting for them to separate from their shameless display of affection.

"… So what now? Do we go over there and sit with your woman, or you are so happy that you longer have any appetite for food?"

"My dish's here, I'll go find us _other _seats," Deidara claimed his plate and went on ahead. Sasori waited until he was out of earshot.

"Sakura-"

"Yes Sasori-san?" When she spun around to look at him with her placid smile, he felt himself bereft of speech. _I can't do it_…

"No, it's nothing."

* * *

"Hey Itachi, Sakura here! How's school today?"

"Hello Sakura, today was alright, lots of lectures. Are you at the hospital already?"

"Yes, I'm taking a break now and was wondering how are you," She admitted bashfully over the phone, glad that the only one seeing her blush was an elderly lady. Before she entered through the sliding door, she delivered a knowing wink in Sakura's direction, causing her blush to deepen.

"That's nice of you, Sakura. Well, I have no Taijutsu lesson today so I'm heading over to one of my classmate's house now. I'll be home by the time you return," He added before she could ask.

"I see; I'm glad to hear that! I was kinda worried you might not…"

"That I might not fit in?" At her silence, Itachi closed his eyes and smiled ruefully to himself before continuing, "It's okay, Sakura. I was trained for this sort of thing, though whether I'm feeling what I show is another thing."

"So… Are you? Are you comfortable, that is?" She asked timidly into the speaker. He thought for a second, and was surprised to find himself breaking into a genuine smile.

"Yes, I am."

As she thanked Shizune for her phone and began her way to Chiyo's ward, she replayed their conversation in her mind, and she swore she heard the smile in his voice at her last question. The image of his smiling face drew out hers as she greeted Gaara and Chiyo with her silly grin.

"My, my Sakura-chan sure looks happy today!"

"I-Is it? I'm still the same as usual!" She proclaimed as she reached for her health chart. _Hmm, classmate's house huh? I wonder what kind of person he is_.

* * *

"Does Chiyo-baasan have any children or grandchildren?" Gaara contemplated over her question, and she could tell he was battling with his conscience over whether to spill or to remain mum.

"... She has a grandson," He admitted at last.

"O-Oh, that's nice, though I never heard her mentioned before." Gaara stared at the opposite wall contritely.

"That's probably because they don't exactly share a close bond with one another."

"Are they still in contact?"

"Not to my knowledge; he did not contact us once since he left the Sand nearly 16 years ago. No one knew of his whereabouts, or whether he's alive," Gaara regarded pensively as Sakura struggled to remain blasé to this unexpected news. She glanced at the helpless godson and wondered what sort of person was Chiyo's grandson.

"What's his name? Who knows I may have seen him; recently there's lots of people who came to Konoha from Sand!" Gaara's eyes widened momentarily in hope, then he realised she might be just trying to uplift him.

"Well…?" Gaara sighed, eyes hardening at memory of Chiyo's weeping form at his departure.

"His name is Sasori."

* * *

"Danna, why did you leave Sand and come to Leaf?" Sasori gave a brief look at Deidara as they dawdled along the street.

"Why do you ask?" With their individual artwork submissions accounted for, they were free after school and were on their way home after lunch.

"I'm just thinking – it's not like Leaf specialises in sculpting or wood sculpting. In fact, Sand is one of the best, if not the best when it comes to creating wood sculptures," Deidara reasoned to himself, and became more perplexed the more he thought over his question.

"I have my reasons." That was Deidara's cue to stop his Q and A session. As they were crossing the zebra-crossing, they passed by a group of middle school students, and two of them waved in their direction. Deidara frowned in bemusement; why were the boys waving to them?

When they stopped by the vending machine for sodas, someone tapped on Sasori's back.

"Hi, Sasori-san!" A pair of girls chorused energetically. When he meekly nodded in response, they giggled among themselves and scampered away, as though in embarrassment from speaking to some 'cool onii-chan.' After collecting his drink, he turned and continued walking in the opposite direction of the girls. Deidara peered at the girls, and then regarded Sasori with an amused grin.

"Danna, you seemed to be very popular among kids, hmm," Deidara observed and nudged him playfully by the elbow.

"Don't speak nonsense, they were merely… Acknowledging me, no big deal," Sasori responded unconvincingly, with his head tilted slightly back in the direction of the girls' jabbers.

"Well, _at least_ they acknowledged you. Considering the stony mask you always wear on your face, they must really like you, hmm," Deidara, the self-proclaimed kid psychologist analysed.

"The kids… Like me huh." At the back of his mind, he could not help but wondered how much of those smiles were true.

* * *

As a kid, Sasori could not understand the way people behaved around his parents, particularly when his Mother was concerned. Whenever she was in the company of Father, everyone who walked by would bow in reverence and offered pleasantries. Some even went as far as to bend to Sasori's level and nuzzled his curly hair and enquired about his day.

He was a shy one then, and he did not like to interact with people, opting to lower his head in discomfort. However, he found that he did not mind the body contact; it reminded him of his Father's nuzzle when he did something good and the smile that would dance in his eyes that rarely graced his lips. He loved that he could make his Father smile.

He remembered his Father was suddenly summoned for a meeting, which left him and his Mother for the rest of the shopping trip. On their way home, they saw the ojisan who talked to them from earlier, walking towards them. His Mother nudged his puny fingers in his direction and told him to greet him. He obliged and waved at him, but the gesture was not returned. Maybe he did not see his small frame.

"Hello, ojisan-" When he whisked passed without acknowledgement, that was when he knew that was intentional.

"Mother, why did that ojisan ignore us?" He caught his Mother's slightly fazed expression but it was swiftly replaced by a gentle smile.

"Oh, he didn't ignore us Sasori; he was just deep in his thoughts. Sometimes I do that too. Once, I walked right into your Father and we nearly fell!" She recounted chirpily, her tone filled with assurance. Not wanting his Mother to worry, he gave a small nod and continued walking, deciding to bite back the comment of the eye contact he was sure he made with the ojisan. At the end of the day, he barely convinced himself that it was no big deal and he was just someone who lived down the street, someone they barely knew.

Then, it happened, and it happened again. Each time it occurred, his Mother would relay the same words, and each time the words sounded more for herself than for her son.

A year later, Sasori still could not understand why people behaved that way around him. However, what was more puzzling for Sasori was witnessing this behaviour from his relatives.

His Grandma was a woman of authority, who nurtured and worked alongside his Father and lived with them in a modest two-storey house. Every night without fail, no matter how tired she was, she would snuck into his room to read him a bedtime story because she knew how much he loved her folk tales and Sand myths.

That night, he heard her muffled voice beyond the mahogany door of his bedroom, shortly after she had left when she thought he had fallen asleep. Rolling off the bed, he crept towards the door, his baby green blanket in tow. He flinched at the chastising tone in his Grandma's voice.

"Why are you even being so friendly to them? Even if you offered them these measly oranges it's not like they will suddenly agree to my son's proposal!" In her agitation, her hand smacked against the basket of fruits, and they went toppling out of Mother's grasp.

"I'm trying to help, Mother. Sasori's Father looked really stressed these few days and it is my duty to-"

"To sit still in this house and tend to the chores, not making things worse than it is." With a final glare at his Mother, she slammed her bedroom's door shut, the resounding slam reminiscent of a slap. He watched as her Mother squatted into the folds of her maxi-skirt and gathered the scattered oranges into her bosom.

Since the day he could remember, other than his Father and him, everyone else had treated Mother like a punching bag, and any unctuous remarks would be instantly replaced with pernicious comments, backed up with a cavalier attitude when Father was not around. It was frustrating to watch how she never retaliated and continued to smile, and he could do nothing to thwart their behaviour.

Not even her Grandma.

"Chiyo-baasan, can I ask you something?" It was bedtime, and she had just coaxed him to sleep with promise of advanced lessons on manipulating wooden puppets.

"Sure, Sasori boy, what is it?"

"Why are you always so mean to Mother?" He watched her fingers paused at the edge of the storybook, and observed how her smile seemed contrived around the edges.

"Since when am I 'mean' to your Mother, Sasori?" He deliberated for a moment.

"You scold her whenever she's alone. Did Mother do something wrong, that's why you are always scolding and beating her arms?" Chiyo's eyes widened a fraction, and she chided herself for not noticing Sasori the day before when she hit that woman for leaving the laundry out in the sandstorm.

"O-Oh, Sasori boy what should I do? I just remembered I have work to submit by tomorrow morning. I'll save tonight's story for tomorrow alright?"

"What? And I really looked forward to today's story…" Smiling down apologetically at his pouting face, she petted his head and left the room with a kiss.

The last time he saw his parents was during the night of a terrifying sandstorm, with its sinister hiss that was preventing him from falling into a slumber. He had wanted to find solace (and hopefully sleep) in her parent's bed, when he saw Chiyo hastily exiting their room. He wormed his way behind the door, where his Mother's snivel could barely be distinguished from the seething storm.

The next thing he saw was a heavily masked man crouching on the window sill, pointing his brandished knife at his Mother. His Father caught the reflection of the blade and threw himself in front of Mother, right when the blade sank into his heart.

Instead of running away, he saw his Mother wrapping her arms tightly around Father's still frame. She tilted her face towards the mystery man and whispered something to him, and a dribble of colourless liquid hit the hardwood floor as the same knife slid easily into her chest.

Just when he thought the interminable ordeal was over, a gush of coarse wind broke through the window and blew away the man's disguise. Sasori gasped silently and watched through his teary eyes as the man who called himself his Father's confidant, his Mother's 'sister' and his 'old man best friend' speedily picked up his fallen mask and replaced it, before slipping out of the window and vanished into the sandstorm.

Sasori could never comprehend the way people behaved around him, but one thing was certain for him, as he later came to master the term for such behaviour.

_Sand is filled with hypocrites_.

* * *

Hopping onto a metallic blue sedan, Itachi was instructed to 'fasten the seat belt' while Kisame started the engine. Before he hit the gas, he noticed Itachi squirming around the leather seat as though searching for something.

"What's wrong, Itachi-san?"

"How does this 'seat belt' works? I can't pull it out," He explained as he tried futilely to shunt the strap. Kisame raised his brows in amusement, and took a few seconds of sadistic pleasure to watch as Itachi mishandled his car.

"Come; let me give you a hand." Itachi released his death grip on the grey strap and pressed against the backrest as Kisame leaned across him, easily pulling it over his shoulder before attaching it to the buckle by his thigh with a solid 'click.' Itachi touched the belt in amazement. Kisame chuckled to himself and drove them out of the university's parking lot.

"Is this meant to keep the passenger safe?" He asked, pointing to the seatbelt.

"That's right. Itachi-san, don't tell me you have never rode in one of these?" Kisame asked jokingly.

"In this… Car, yes it's my first time. It's a lot quieter and smoother than the public buses I took to school though," He remarked causally as Kisame stopped for a red light.

"Of course! Do you know how much this baby cost?" He sounded slightly offended by the comparison, which baffled Itachi. Even though this was admittedly a more comfortable alternative to the schlep by foot through the foliage that he was so accustomed to, the numerous instances where they had to stop for those traffic signals proved this to be less efficient than travelling on foot and chakra.

"Maybe you were ripped off, it still took us quite a while to reach the destination," Itachi mentioned as they came to a halt by a white building next to the sea.

"What? You are kidding right, Itachi-san. What do you use to travel back at your place?" He asked as he unlocked their buckles simultaneously and leaped off the car.

"By foot." Kisame shrugged his brows and motioned for him to stand aside as he reopened the door and slammed it shut.

"Is it spoilt?"

"Yea, the door sensor is faulty; it's second-hand after all. The next time, you pull it back, gather some force and thrust it in!" The second slam did the trick; he locked the car and led Itachi around the narrow path to the patio.

Kisame's house was located on the South-east of Konoha, by the seaside along with rows of stand-alone houses and shops. A vegetated mountain towered over the area on the east side facing the sea, giving the place the impression of an isolated beach.

He then led him into a white interior living room, with three large adjacent windows that faced the sea. There were matching white sofas with blue and white stripes pillows, a recycled timber coffee table that was resting on a blue and yellow stripes rug on the fir floor. He gestured for him to sit and poured them green tea.

"Kisame, do you live alone?"

"Yea, though this is not my house. I'm helping at the diving centre next door and the owner rented me this beach house at a cut-price. He has a few houses along the coast," He elaborated.

"I see. This is a great place," He commented, drinking in the carefree sway of the coconut palms and serene atmosphere.

"What about you, Itachi-san?"

"I'm staying with a relative. Heard of the Haruna Residence? Thank you," He took a sip of the freshly brewed tea as Kisame settled at the adjoining armchair.

"Ah, can't say I did. But bring me there some time; I'd love to see it." After a moment of indulging in the idyllic afternoon of affable company and soothing beverage, Itachi spoke his mind.

"You aren't from Konoha right?" Kisame opened an eye in surprise in his direction.

"Is it that obvious? I thought my Leaf accent is pretty neat," He shook his head in awe; other than Pein and Minato, Itachi was the only one who had discovered that in a long time.

"Let me guess – you're from the State of Mist."

"Itachi-san, are you a fortune-teller now?"

"And you are a strong swimmer." He wondered if he also practiced swordsmanship like his ex-partner.

"Now, the last point is rather obvious; you're just humouring me huh. Oh I heard you graduated from a Ninja Academy? Why ninja?" Fortuitously Kisame did not enquire about the academy.

"My... Father was a ninja and he intended for me to inherit his will."

"Uh-huh, then why are you here in an urban area?"

"There has been… A change of plans." At the lack of elaboration, Kisame nodded understandingly and ceased to press on further.

"What about you?" Kisame's eyes found his concerned ones but beyond that, he saw a trustworthy face, a confidant; this inexplicable feeling that he had known him for a long time. He released a dramatic sigh and fell back against the backrest.

"It was more than ten years ago, I think. After my parents died in a scuba malfunction during one of their barrier reefs exhibitions, I had to support myself while I struggled through my elementary and middle school days. Orphaned kids got it real bad, you know?" Itachi felt his heart cringed at his last comment, and nodded on encouragingly for him to continue.

"Luckily for my incredible luck at job interviews and affinity with water, I was able to pull through with the bare essentials. Then one day, I noticed an ad about hiring part-time diving coaches at Konoha with considerable pay, and I jumped at the chance. I haven looked back since," He ended as he stood up and did some stretches.

"What do you say about a quick dip in the water?"

"Sounds good,' Itachi answered softly.

* * *

After what she heard from Gaara, Sakura felt the need to confront Chiyo.

Chiyo eyed Gaara pointedly before she admitted to what he had told Sakura, and went on to share a little of Sasori's tragic past.

Apparently, he realised Chiyo and everyone's dislike to his Mother and was upset by the discovery. Then, shortly after witnessing his parent's death, he decided could not stand living with her, or Sand in general, and left the State. There were no last words or hugs shared. There was certainly no farewell letter.

Chiyo remained strong and shed no tears throughout her recount, but even Sakura, a stranger, could detect the sadness oozing behind her eyes. She wondered if that was why Sasori's smile seldom reached his eyes, and if that shed some light on his cynicism towards mankind.

She valued Sasori as a friend, as her benefactor and believed that he wanted to see Chiyo as much as Chiyo did.

As she stepped through her door, Itachi glanced up from the newspaper on his lap.

"You're back." She felt a tug in her heart as he resumed his reading, hit by the image of her Father spread on the sofa with his newspaper who welcomed her home like before. Itachi sensed her eyes on him.

"Is something the matter, Sakura?" She shook her head; as her Father had ingrained in her – be thankful. Even though his Father had passed on, at least she still had a roof over her head and company. A _hot _company.

"What are you reading about?" She kicked off her pumps and plunged down next to him, leaning over his shoulder. A waft of sea salt and shampoo teased her olfactory senses, and she smiled at its healing properties and what it was doing to her fatigued mind.

"Another child has gone missing; the boy is only six." He pointed to the coloured image of the beaming boy.

"I hope the police can find him soon, like they always do," She added confidently, and he offered what she could call a smile. She continued to skim the pages with him, and whenever he wanted to flip a page, he would turn to her, in case she was not done.

"So, did you find anything?" Sakura started.

"Like what?"

"Whatever you said you wanted to check in the library," She asked, referring to the day he had decided to study and be a teenager again.

"Oh, unfortunately I didn't." He set the papers down and angled his body to face her. "Sakura, are you sure the archive is in the uni's library? I didn't see it when I went there this morning."

"I'm sure; one of my best friends is in the library club and once she mentioned it. I can call and ask her now," She finished and instinctively reached into her pockets, but his arm shot up and grabbed her wrist.

"No, it's okay. I'll look for it again." He loosened his grip and reached into his pocket to pass back her phone. She blinked at his outstretched hand.

"Oh, right, I keep forgetting to get you a phone." She slammed her fist against her palm in self-reproach, before her eyes lit up and she reached into her bag. Itachi gingerly took the item from her palm.

"What's this?"

"I imagine it would be quite embarrassing for you to carry around a phone with the pink casing, so I got you a temporary relief," She answered and signalled for him to turn it around. Against the black background lay his pride and honour – an Uchiha fan symbol on the top half of the metal casing.

"Come, let me help you." She quickly replaced her old casing and passed it back for his inspection.

"I-I have no idea; I assumed the design was fixed." His gaze was fixed on the Uchiha symbol in awe, and she giggled at his plain appreciation to such simple things in life.

"That's the beauty of phone cases; every time you change it you can't help but feel you've got a new phone."

"I imagine these things come at a price," He remarked, tapping on the phone's glass screen.

"Well, yea but in this age this is practically a necessity, especially for curing boredom, and ICE of course," She grinned and demonstrated the wonders of YouTube to a frowning and nodding Itachi.

"They have many tutorials of all sorts– some as lame as demonstrating 'how to fasten a seatbelt;' I nearly spilt my drink at that! Like you don't say?" She shook her head in disbelief and recalled how she had choked on plain water when she confirmed twenty thousand views beneath that faithful video.

"Well, I have no idea…"

"What?"

"So I just type in whatever I want… And thousands of these videos would surface? That's rather unbelievable." He scrolled down the endless list and made a mental note to check out this YouTube in private.

"That's nothing. _You _being here, now that's unbelievable." Itachi's fingers paused and he thought about what had happened since he winded up in this strange yet familiar world.

"I'm glad we met, Sakura." Sakura's smirk gave way to surprise at his softened eyes.

"W-Well, I'm glad I met you too." Her reply was immixed of sincerity and perplexity.

"I mean it, and I'm sorry for all the trouble I must have imposed upon you," He continued on, gazing deep into her widened eyes as a raising perturbation overtook her.

"H-Hey, it's no trouble okay? I was the one who agreed to this… Wait, are you leaving? Have you found a way to return home? Is that why you're saying these now?" She knew it was eventual, but the thought of it, and _so soon_; she was uncertain how she felt about that.

"… No, that's not it. And there's really no point in me going back anyway," He looked down at her cool palms rested anxiously atop his and back at her as she regained her composure.

"W-Why not?" She breathed out in bafflement and watched as his lips pulled into a humourless smile, with eyes that had seen too much blood, ears that had heard too much screams and heart that had experienced too much death.

"Didn't I mention I'm already dead?"

* * *

**School's starting next week, and when that happens... I'll have to compromise the progress of this story for a least a month. It sucks so I'll try to write as much as I can while I have time!**


	13. Of Stolen Records & Kisses

**Chapter12 Recall:**

Itachi 'unlocked' another member of Akatsuki, Deidara finally decided to man up and ask her out, a glimpse into Sasori's past, and date between Itachi and a certain buff guy and another revelation from Itachi to Sakura.

* * *

**Chapter13 – Of Stolen Records &amp; Kisses**

"W-What do you mean, you're already dead?" Itachi closed his eyes as memories of his final battle with Sasuke flooded his senses and thoughts.

"More accurately, I'm _supposed _to be dead in my world. I believe when you found me, I have sustained severe injuries to my body?" At her hesitant nod, he released an audible breath and continued.

"Honestly, I still think it's a miracle I'm alive; I was certain I have exhausted all of my chakra the moment I fell."

"What happens when you used up your chakra?"

"You die. By then the yin and yang balance within your body would have been disrupted; it's similar to overexertion, and your organs would just collapse." The placid way he discussed death unsettled Sakura; she tightened her grip on his hands and took comfort in the warmth that radiated from them.

"B-But now your body's all healed and you've restored your chakra right? Surely…"

"It does not matter. And I suspect this is a separate vessel from my actual one. As long as the original vessel is broken, it would be unable to support any life, so I'm as good as dead." Sakura's despondency was practically palpable, and he thought that it felt ironic how someone whom he barely knew for less than a month could appear this crashed by his death.

He supposed it could not be helped his own brother would be celebrating his fall since he had not exactly been treating him like human, he thought. He rotated his palm to secure hers within his comforting grasp.

"It's alright, Sakura, there's no reason to be upset. It's better this way." When she looked up, he saw her damped lashes and brows puckered in accusation.

"How is it _better_? What about your parents, your brother, your friends?" When she was met with silence, she felt something within her snapped as the first driblet of sadness slid down her cheek.

"Itachi, you can't-"

His soft lips assaulted hers without warning, and she felt her body relaxed and her eyes slid closed as he gently cupped one of his hands behind her head. He did not attempt to force his way into her, but simply applied a little pressure against her closed lips, as though relishing in their intimate contact. She felt his other hand on his lap manoeuvred his grip into an interlock, and she squeezed in response.

Much too soon, his moist lips pulled away, and she felt her eyes opened unwillingly, her mouth craving for more. He slid his hand onto her flushed cheek, his eyes smiling as he used his thumb to erase away her tears. She stared into his dark eyes and wondered what she had been crying for.

"Thank You, Sakura." With that, he separated his hands from her, headed in the direction of the forest from the kitchen and dissipated into the darkness. Sakura slumped against the sofa's armrest and pulled her fingers onto her lips.

"What… Just happened?"

* * *

_What just happened_…?

As Itachi sprinted through the inky woods to empty his mind in vain, he stopped short on an emergent and leaned against the coarse bark, his unfocused gaze rested on the vivid full moon.

As he struggled to stay sane, he felt that he was losing control of his body and mind. He reached up and touched his pumping heart, surprised to feel its strong beats.

_What is this I am feeling_…?

As he shut his eyes to block off all distractions to search his inner soul for answers, all he saw was her tear-stricken face and her contrived smile whenever she was down and tried to hide it.

_Shall I be doing this? Is it right for me to defy nature and begin a life here… Or should I have moved on to another world, the _rightful _world, as per planned? But isn't nature defying nature by sending me here instead?_

His eyelids broke apart and he hopped down onto the forest ground with a dull thud, his hands rapidly forming seals as he amassed chakra in his mouth.

_How can I understand this world when I don't even understand myself_...?

Somewhere in the sable darkness, balls of blazing inferno danced among the tree canopy like strings of light bulbs in a fiesta.

* * *

When Sasori contacted Sakura via Ino's phone and requested (or demanded, since Sasori did not do _beg_) to meet with her after school, Sakura had to reread the text ten times underneath her desk.

"Psssh! What is that about?" Ino hissed behind her when she remained motionless for a while. Then she thought, _just nice, I need to talk to him too_, and replied the venue and time.

"He wants to meet me after school," She whispered as she passed back her phone.

"WHAT?" At her exclamation, all eyes suddenly fell on Ino.

"Is something wrong, Ino?"

"I-Iya, do you mind repeating that part about the Fire's Feudal Lords, Asuma-sensei?" Ino smiled sheepishly as she deflected away her classmates' and Asuma's quizzical expressions.

"I think he wants to tell me something," Sakura replied under her breath and nodded discreetly when Ino said to keep her posted. She still had not told Gaara or Chiyo that she knew Sasori, or that he was actually residing in Konoha. She wanted to hear from Sasori's side before making any further actions.

"That's it for today's class, have a good afternoon, the future of Konoha!" As the class filed out intermittently, Ino strolled over to Sakura's desk and touched her forehead.

"Is something wrong, Sakura? I know you are forgetful; but how can you forget to bring your phone _four _days in a row?" Sakura swiped off her hand and pulled herself up.

"Anyway, did any guys, say Deidara, ask you out for Annual Hanami yet?" Ino glanced suspiciously at her.

"Why…? Oh, _now _I see why…" She stopped in her tracks, her displeasure sipping out in lethal doses. Sakura turned and clasped Ino's palms, staring into her shocked celadon orbs.

"Promise me, Ino, that you would at least give it a thought. No for his or me, but for your sake." Ino sighed in frustration, but eventually returned a grudging nod.

They found Hinata alone at the corridor, staring at the retreating back of Gaara. Sakura noticed a brown envelope in her hand.

"Hinata, are you there?"

"EEK! I-Ino you scared me…"

"What is that in your hand?" Sakura pointed at the envelope but she quickly darted her head and shifted her hands away from their prying eyes.

"I-It's just a letter from the admin office." Ino pouted and pointed her head towards Sakura.

"What about you Sakura? Are you going to ask Sasuke out or has he already made the first move?!" Hinata glanced over in hope whereas Sakura did a mental 'tsk' at the absurdity of her words. _As though he would; more like he couldn't wait to put me down_!

"H-He hasn't asked me out yet and I don't plan on asking either." Her bosom buddies flicked towards her in disbelief.

"Why not? I thought you are crazy over him?"

"Well," She began and saw the man in question turned and disappeared around a bend and smiled ruefully, "Not anymore."

* * *

Itachi caught her from his peripheral vision engaged in a conversation with another student. As she swung her head towards the glass door, her perfunctory smile broke into one that was genuine, and he gravitated towards her.

Itachi was in luck. Coincidentally, Konan was the president of the library club and had to take over the shift of a sick junior. Now it was a matter of asking the appropriate questions.

"Hey Itachi, are you looking for something? Maybe I can be of help."

"I hope so. I'm looking for the archives of Konoha's history." It was pointless beating around the bush, Konan was a smart woman and Itachi had no time to waste.

"Over there, you turn right and turn right again when you reach the end-"

"Konan, I mean the _real_ archives, do you know where they are?" At his implication, Konan retracted her hand and fixed her impassive eyes on his. There was no denying the sparkle of recognition in Konan's expression, that split second gave away that he grew to be so in tuned to when someone was hiding something.

_How do you know_...? The unspoken question hanged in the air as Konan mentally debated her next course of action. She could very well speak in denial and returned a blank stare the way Jiraya had taught her, but the flash of red she thought she saw in his intense eyes made her floundered.

"History can be falsified, but papers don't lie, am I right, Konan?" Her bewildered eyes shot up, slapped by a stroke of déjà vu.

"_History… They don't always speak of truth, don't you think?"_

She had intended it to be a passing remark; she was seated by the couch in the public library and had observed the way he seemed so lost to his surroundings, simply immersed in pages and pages of lies.

"… _Made to be believed, meant to be deceiving."_

Something like resolve solidified behind Konan's eyes, and Itachi knew he got her. She excused herself from behind the counter and with a flick of her head, Itachi followed Konan in the direction of the History section. Before they reached the History shelf, she veered to the right and darted behind a shelf.

They were standing in front of the Janitor's store, its wooden door etched into the wall. She extracted a set of keys from her plaid skirt, did a furtive left-right glance and inserted the key. Instead of the door unlocking, a sensor pad appeared behind a hidden panel next to the door where Konan swiftly tapped her admin card. Finally, she twisted the door knob.

"Shall we?" Itachi raised a brow at the security measures taken to access the cleaning equipment and moved through the door. Inside was a narrow stretch of space, akin to a corridor, where equipment from mops to cloths hanged neatly along the wall. The only way to walk was towards the left, and Konan led them all the way to the end.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked as they reached another door, gripped by ambivalence. As much as he wanted to discover the truth, maybe he was not supposed to know it, or even be aware. Konan's hand rested on the door knob, and she smiled at him.

"I knew you were different the moment I saw you. I was actually counting down the days till we meet again in Kizuna." At her oracular response, she pushed through the door and they entered a bigger confined space. The smell of detergent and dry cloth coalesced with the smell of old books, the disturbing combination tickling his nose.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it in a while. Come on." She felt along the wall and flipped on a switch, which casted the room in a soft yellow glow. An air vent was installed at all corners to compensate for the tight space and kept it slightly cool. There were no surveillance devices.

"Which year?"

"I would like to start from a century ago." She escorted them to the middle of the three massive shelves at the farthest end.

"May I know why you are so interested in Konoha's history? Could it be that you were originally from the Leaf?" His hand stopped before the scrolls that he had come to miss, and turned towards her.

"You're right; I am from Konoha. But the Konoha that I knew of is quite different from the Konoha depicted in the records, and I would like to know why." His explanation completely eliminated her doubts of his connections with Mist, the ninja academy he was known to 'graduate' from, and his actions made more sense now.

"So, you are from _the _Uchiha clan? You are an actual Uchiha descendant?"

"I guess you can say that," He answered and felt the context and concept of the term 'descendant' rather screwed up.

Her hand stopped his as his fingers found its way around the scroll's circumference.

"You may find many things disturbing, and numerous unbelievable. Are you sure you want to read them?" He fought to calm his raging Sharingan and looked at her.

"There's nothing I can't take." The firmness behind his words was adamantine. She withdrew her hand and he easily broke through the seal, eliciting a soft gasp from Konan. He immediately recognised the rigid handwriting as the Third Hokage's, and smiled as he pictured his petite frame swallowed by the Hokage's attire. Konan watched as he went through scrolls after scrolls, as though he had been handling them all his life.

_Impressive; I knew he is special, but I never thought_…

As his hand curled around a maroon red scroll, Konan's heart skipped a beat, hit by a queer sensation. She scanned the writings and the scroll and found no defects, but she was still unable to quash the queasy sensation. Itachi noticed her perturbed expression.

"What's wrong? Do we have to leave soon?" This trip had proven to be rewarding; much of the omitted scripts of olden Konoha were in fact, stored here in their original condition. Although most were tattered by the edges and had yellowed, the calligraphies remained legible.

"That's not it; I just can't shake the feeling that something's amiss. Recently, I've… I've added my signature into every scroll in this room to double the security. But sometimes, I can't seem to locate it, or it feels slightly different," She explained as she undo several more scrolls, most of which were contents that focused on chakra. Itachi twisted his body so that he was facing away from Konan, and activated his Sharingan.

Itachi was positive that she was referring to her chakra signature; he could see that almost all the scrolls in this room were marked by her chakra.

_It seems that there are people who could still harness chakra, though I wonder why I didn't detect hers when we first met_.

She showed him the odd scrolls, and immediately he knew why they felt different.

"These aren't the original scrolls." She responded with her puzzled eyes and waited for his elaboration.

"Then why can't I tell them apart anymore?" He temporarily shut his Sharingan to look at her.

"Do you trust me?" He asked instead. Konan closed her eyes briefly before she answered.

"If I don't, I wouldn't have brought you here." Itachi seemed satisfied by her reply, and requested for her to turn around.

"Maybe I can help you, to see clearer." Despite his vague response, Konan duly nodded, and closed her eyes in anticipation. Itachi gently placed a palm against her back, and carefully channelling a small amount of his chakra into his hand, he forced it into her chakra pathway system. Her body jerked as the invisible surge coursed through her body, temporarily disrupting her chakra flow. Immediately she felt her senses sharpened.

She re-examined the scrolls in question and her eyes widened in incredulity.

"You were under the effects of an illusion, which explains why yours senses were muddled."

"Genjutsu huh…" She whispered softly, confirming Itachi's theory of her chakra potency. "Now that I can see and feel properly, it's obvious that these duplicate scrolls were infused with – altered with someone else's signature in an attempt to mimic mine, but…"

"One can never completely mimic another's signature," Itachi finished for her. _With my Sharingan, any means of deception would be pointless._

"Usually, I would visit this place alone, and I would simply shake off these bouts of queasiness. But here comes the next question, where are the original scrolls?"

"Someone might have taken it," Itachi answered as he replaced the unlocked scrolls with a new seal.

"But who, and why?"

With the knowledge that people could still tap onto the prowess of chakra, Itachi feared that whoever who got their hands on the hidden scrolls were up to no good.

* * *

Sakura found Sasori seated by the fence along the high school's main gate waiting for her. She made sure to skip on ahead to prevent contact between Ino and Sasori, in case he got pissed and changed his mind about whatever he wanted to say. When it came to Sasori, sometimes he could be as unpredictable as the weather.

"Hey, sorry to make you wait; Kakashi-sensei can be such a nag when he wants to," She lamented as she skid to a halt in front of him.

"Have you eaten?"

"Yea, but we can still grab something along the way to the hospital." As they neared the hospital, Sasori stopped by the hedge before the entrance.

"Sakura, don't tell Chiyo-baa that I'm here." Sakura's footsteps faltered as she slowly turned around in disbelief.

"Wha- You _knew_; all along you knew and you never visited?" She had not meant to sound condescending, but the revelation that someone would ignore their ill living kin was appalling for her.

"You don't understand," He rebuked and glared at her accusing ones.

"Then I hope you understand that she doesn't have a lot of time left." His lour momentarily parted into one of puzzlement.

"H-How much longer?"

"I would say less than three months, but it could take a turn for the worse anytime." It was through experience that it was never wise to present the best scenario; human bodies were a lot more vulnerable and unpredictable when laden with disease.

Sakura knew she was running late, and was bound to get a dressing down by Tsunade, but she _needed _Sasori to come to terms with himself. She heard he blew out an audible breath as he turned away from her.

"I'll think about it."

"Yes, you do that; I'll see you around the hospital yea, Sasori-san? Jyaa!" She was aware that he made no promises, but at least he was receptive to her advice. She just hoped he did not take his own sweet time.

* * *

Other than her heart problem, Chiyo had a soft spot for all things sweet and chewy, which was detrimental against her diabetic issue. As she had agreed with Gaara, she would have Chiyo condone to her issue and quit her sweet addiction.

"Sakura-chan, do you have someone you like?" Her serious mood and determined eyes was successfully interrupted by Chiyo's spurt of forecast.

"W-What? What's with the sudden question?" She carried on pulling a new blanket over Chiyo as she chuckled at her blushing cheeks and evasion.

"I can always tell when someone is in love; tell me, is it my cute little godson?" She nearly tripped on her foot at the thought of Gaara and her, _together_.

"W-What? No, it's not him-"

"So there's someone after all. I wouldn't have guessed; not if you haven told me." Sakura's face grew redder at falling for her tricks, again.

"It's not really anything! I just enjoy his company a lot, and he uh, I hope he returns the sentiment," She regarded lamely as she tried to mentally decipher Itachi's unreadable thoughts and feelings towards her.

"You like him, Sakura-chan." This time, her words were not a question.

"Anyway, it's impossible between us. And I'm sure he doesn't like me this way." She smiled ruefully and recalled that kiss that could mean everything and nothing at the same time. Once again, she found her fingers unconsciously touching her lips.

"Did you two kiss?" At her sudden jerk, Chiyo cackled between mouthfuls of gummies.

"Was it good?" Sakura thought for a second, and gleefully nodded her head.

"You know the saying, 'let nature take its course.' So don't worry too much and just be yourself. If he doesn't like you for who you are, then you know he's not the one," She preached on merrily as she catapulted more gummies into her mouth. Sakura bit her lower lips bashfully, when she finally noticed her liberal intake of the forbidden food.

"Hey!"

"You're making my job difficult, Chiyo-baasan," She laughed as Chiyo stuck out her tongue. She watched on longingly at the bag of gummies Sakura confiscated, now on top of her clipboard. "It's for your own good."

"You know what, Sakura-chan? Let's make a bet. Close the door; I wouldn't want Tsunade-hime hearing this."

"That's my line, Chiyo-baasan!"

"Alright, I promise to quit eating gummies when you promise that you would confess your feelings to the guy you like," She put a hand up to stop Sakura's protest as she continued.

"Then let's see who can do it first." Sakura thought about Chiyo and her depleting health; if this could motivate her to take charge of her health, then so be it.

"The loser, or the promise-breaker, would be a pig, deal?" Chiyo nodded and together they sealed their promise with a pinkie-ring, challenge accepted.

* * *

_Okay, breathe in, breathe out. It's going to be alright_.

Never did Sakura imagine she would be nervous going home, or fretting over seeing him so soon. She tipped-toed before the door to take a minute's breather, and then nodded to herself and entered.

Itachi was perched on her sofa fiddling with her phone, looking the part of a typical teenager.

"You're back, Sakura," He glanced up to nod in her direction and his attention was back to her phone.

"Uh-huh… What are you doing?" She did not mean to probe, but it was weird to watch him be so _engaged _in technology. He released an indiscernible sound and gasped softly before looking up apologetically at her.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry Sakura; I might have damaged your phone." His immediate dismal was so tangible that Sakura could not find it in her to be anything but amused. She flumped down next to him and sifted for the 'damage.'

"Oh, don't worry; it's not spoilt – it's just out of juices," She simpered when his frown deepened. She speculated that he must be using YouTube the whole night and told him not to worry.

He was acting so normal, as though nothing out of the norm had happened between them; then again, maybe it was really nothing for him, Sakura figured. The upside was that this could palliate the inevitable awkwardness, and the downside? She was overthinking the gesture and had worried in vain. It was very distressing either way.

They were lying on their respective beds, both wide awaked and deep in their individual thoughts.

"Sakura-"

"Itachi-" They called out simultaneously, and swiftly fell into a deafening silence. There was no doubt that both wanted to discuss about _that_, but the words felt stuck in their throat. As a male and intrepid ninja, Itachi mentally sighed and began first.

"I wanted to ask… I wanted to ask whether you mind… If I were to bring over one of my friends here," He enquired and nearly face-palmed himself at his duplicity. Sakura released the breath she was unaware she was holding, in part-relief and part-disappointment.

"O-Of course! You don't have to ask me you know; my house is your house, Itachi," She answered sincerely while staring intently at her white ceiling. Then the room descended into the stiffening silence again, when she realised it was her turn to ask the dreaded question.

"Umm, uh! I-I wanted to tell you… T-That I've washed and ironed your school uniform… I kept them in the left side of the right wardrobe, in case you're wondering," She added under her breath, wanting to kick herself for chickening out.

"Oh, okay, thank you Sakura." His reply was clearly a euphemism for 'Yea sure Mom, like I can't find it myself.' She tried to suffocate herself with the blanket to squeeze out her mortification. Even Chiyo's face could not instil any last minute courage in her.

"Does it bother you, what I did?" Sakura loosened her grip on the blanket and blinked in confusion.

_Oh shit, is he referring to_…?

"A-A-A bit… BUT in a good way," She hastily added, and causally wondered if thinking about the kiss for the whole day constituted as a bit, not that he needed to know.

"If it bothers you, I won't do it again," He said after a moment. Sakura pondered over his words, before the gravity of it nearly sucked the air out of her and her face went instant red.

_WAIT, does he mean… If I were to tell him it DOESN'T bother me, he would do it AGAIN? Oh god, does he know he's making my heart explode_?

"No! I-It doesn't bother me one bit!" Was she sounding a little desperate there?

"But, you just said a bit; make up your mind, Sakura," He quipped into the darkness.

"Mou, Itachi!" _Stop making me blush_! As she threw her pillow at his face in embarrassment, she felt herself losing her leverage along the bed's edge and went tumbling off the bed, landing ceremoniously on top of Itachi. Itachi's eyes widened from the impact and felt the air slightly knocked out of his lungs.

"Urgh… Sakura…" After she got over the initial shock, she realised she was crashing him, and quickly supported herself on her elbows.

"Oh my gods, Itachi are you hurt?" She asked, her tone flurried and her eyes searching his for signs of pain. Itachi shook his head against his pillow, which was when she realised the proximity of their heads. She felt her breath hitched; as her eyes slowly drifted down to his mouth, she felt his right arm winded around her body. Before she knew what happened, she felt him pushed her head down towards him, and once again their lips found one another amidst the body warmth and darkness of her cosy sanctuary.

It felt tender, dewy and free of lust – all there were was bliss.

After what was equivalent to eternality, it was Sakura who broke away. She watched as his eyes slowly unpeeled, her head now a few inches away from where she was before, grateful for the darkness that concealed her blush.

"Was it bad?" His whisper was husky and dazed, as though still stunned by her sudden movement. She watched on unfazed, the back of her reeling. _Was it bad? Are you kidding me, Itachi_?!

"No! It's just… If we don't stop now, I-I might be unable to control myself…" Their eyes widened simultaneously when they realised what she said. _MY GOD, what the hell am I saying now? It sounded like I am eager to have sex with him_!

Under her, Itachi's mouth cracked a smirk. Blushing all possible shades of red, she clumsily grabbed her fallen pillow by his side, dove back onto her bed and disappeared under the blanket.

"What were you planning to do, Sakura?" Even though he was not laughing, she could already imagine that conceited smile still evident on his smug face.

"Nothing! Good night, Itachi!"

"Goodnight indeed, Sakura," He answered as he chuckled softly to himself.

…

"Itachi?"

"Hmm?" Sakura's reply was barely a whisper.

"You just took my first kiss." After what felt like an hour, she thought she heard his voice as she succumbed to the darkness of her sleep.

"So was mine."

* * *

**Who also wants a kiss from Itachi?**

**(Me) **


	14. The Truth

**Chapter13 Recall:**

Something kyaaa worthy happened for Sakura; Itachi finally managed to access the hidden archive room with the help from Konan; Sakura confronted Sasori about Chiyo and made a sweet promise with Chiyo.

* * *

**Chapter14 – The Truth**

Pein had wanted Konan to approach Itachi after he was informed of their new 'classmate,' to observe him while he looked up his records. Though Minato never told him much, it was enough to let him know that Itachi was different from the rest – it was unlike him to just admit a new student into the school, much less _the _APEX programme. After all, every student who was admitted had been placed under discreet observation and had their backgrounds checked before they were recommended or approved by the institution's senior committee.

Konan recalled how she had to skip an anticipated talk by her favourite sculptor to camp by the male washroom, and then to coincidentally bumped into Itachi after he exited looking stiff and confused. Not that she was complaining; whenever there was news of a new member, she would take it upon herself to make them feel as welcomed as possible (even if he was lecherous and/ or favoured extreme practices). She knew how it felt to not belong.

That was the mantra she was mentally chanting as she attempted to distract herself with folding more cranes. However, the groaning and smooching noise at the back of the classroom seemed to grow louder with each completed crane.

"Ugggh Hidan… Touch me there, _yes_ that's where…" Hidan's latest playmate moaned.

_Hurry back would you, Nagato_?

* * *

Itachi found Nagato (or Pein, as Konan explicitly reminded to not address him by his real name) at the back of the classroom block, who seemed to be communicating with a bird on his finger. At his approaching footsteps, Pein raised his hand and the blue bird fluttered off towards the rolling hills.

"Konan said you were looking for me…?" Itachi stood at a safe distance beside him as he turned towards the scenery, in the direction where the bird had taken off.

"Yes, I wanted to speak to you privately, and two guys heading over to an unsupervised area might rise unnecessary attention, if you get my drift," Pein explained gravely and Itachi raised an amused brow.

_What happened to the God Almighty Pein who did as he pleased_?

"I made sure I wasn't followed on my way here," Itachi answered half-seriously and half-mockingly, though the latter was lost on the visibly relieved guy.

"I believe neither Minato-sensei nor Konan has told you anything about true nature of the APEX programme." Itachi nodded and Pein turned to face him with his arms crossed, all business-like.

"I know you can use chakra." At the word 'chakra,' Itachi's turned his head to look at him as he continued, "In fact everyone in our class can, some better than the others, but not necessarily consciously."

"Is that the real purpose of this programme, to gather people who can manipulate chakra?" Never mind the fact he could not detect chakra from any of them, but what was the school planning with a horde of chakra-able teenagers?

"Ho, you pick up first, Itachi. To aid in the cultivation of the student's chakra, we are given training. If you notice on the time-table, we have P.E. every Friday," Pein suddenly mentioned.

"Another cover up."

"That's right. I enjoy talking with you; there's no need for me to spell everything out unlike some of the others…" He shook his head as though to shake off those offending memories and continued. "I'm sure you have more questions, but I'll leave that portion to our P.E. teacher." He remarked ambiguously and began to walk off.

"Training on campus?"

"You'll see."

* * *

Itachi was not surprised as he joined the rest of his classmates seated on the field, and saw Minato standing at the head of the group.

"Looks like everyone's here," Minato began and smiled warmly at Itachi. "From here on I'll be more tied up at my desk, but don't hesitate to approach me for anything." Everyone nodded and he exchanged a meaningful look with Pein.

"Itachi, I assume Pein has given you a heads up about APEX and what today's lesson entails?"

"What? You mean all this time he didn't know?" Deidara exclaimed from the back.

"It was not the right time then, Deidara. Anyway, I'll be commencing our class now. Everyone get into your teams and continue where you left off." As everyone paired up and sped off, Itachi waited patiently for his 'mission.'

"You and I shall be a team for today. We're a little behind time, so follow closely." With that, he sprinted across the field and motioned towards the forested area a little downhill. Needless to say, Minato was impressed by his speed and ability to keep up with him as he juggled between the branches and he gave an amused smile to a bemused Itachi.

"You can ask me anything, you know," Minato chortled when Itachi snapped his head towards him as though he just read his mind.

"Where are we going now?" That was not the question he was expecting, but if it were him, he would be concerned as to why his P.E. teacher was leading them out of the school during school.

"We've gotten words that there might be an abandoned bag of ordnance in the forest nearest to the city, and things could get nasty if they were to fall into the wrong hands. So, we're heading over there to retrieve it," He explained calmly as he signalled for them to descend to cross a traffic light.

"This may sound disrespectful, but may I ask why are we doing that?" Minato directed them into an obscured alley and into another wooded area. He cocked his head, seemingly mulling over his question.

"Why, you ask? It's because we were ordered to." Itachi narrowed his eyes and resisted his snort as Minato continued his lingo. Twenty minutes later, they set foot into the same forest Itachi found Kabuto entered, but found no traces of the reported bag.

They trekked carefully on the dry patches of soil, careful not to leave evidence of their activity and followed a trail of indented mud into a small and heavily canopied clearing. There was a patch of soil that stood out from the rest, its colour slightly darker than its surroundings. As their eyes met, they nodded and quickly set to digging out whatever was buried underneath.

Minato launched a hefty shove up and Itachi strained to pull the soiled sandbag out of the hole, caught off-guard by it bulkiness.

Minato easily hopped out of the artificial hole and slipped on a pair of latex gloves. Next, he brandished a marked kunai to slice the rope tied around its mouth. His hand reached in and coiled around a semi-automatic pistol, and was surprised to find two unfired bullets when he detached the magazine.

"What are these?" Whatever they were, Itachi surmised they were dangerous; most of the technologies from the modern were, thinking back about Sakura's phone which blacked out without warning on its own.

"Firearms, and most of them were either partially loaded or empty. These must be the stolen weapons from the military's armoury room," He hissed under his breath, and proceeded to secure the deadly sandbag with a spare rope in his pocket. Luging the bag over his shoulder, he managed a smile to Itachi.

"It's late; shall we head back now?" Itachi's eye remained pinned on the heavy sac on his sagging shoulder.

"Ah, we're going back on the express train. Come over and put your hand on my other shoulder, will you Itachi?" Itachi frowned but complied, and in a gush of the wind they were back in Minato's office.

"This must be the legendary Flying Raijin."

"You've heard about it? That means Konan must have showed you the old records," Minato said through laboured breaths as he tugged the sandbag into an empty cupboard and slammed it shut with a seal to the handle.

"I won't breathe a word about what I read."

"I'm not worried about that, rather I'm glad you seem to be taking things so well so far…" Minato smiled approvingly at Itachi, and caught him eyeing the sealed cardboard.

"Ah, don't worry about those. I'll hand them over to the police force after work. Now, the others should be back soon…" Right in the moment, a series of knocking sound brought a recess to their conversation.

"Welcome back, everyone. What have we got here? Let's start with Pein." Everyone shifted to the rear as he stood forward.

"Konan and I managed to identify and locate the witnesses during the recent missing orphan case – but we were too late; they were put under a genjutsu to make them forget what they see, not even after dispelling it," Pein summarised sombrely.

"We're really sorry, Minato-sensei," Konan added next to Pein after Minato sighed.

"It's alright, it can't be helped. What about Kisame and Zetsu?" Zetsu, the teenager with a similar height to Itachi and asparagus green hair spoke up from the back.

"We visited last week's victim's parents to follow up but they have yet to hear a word from their son or the suspected kidnapper; there's nothing we can do about the boy for now," He reported and retreated to the back of the entourage. Minato nodded understandingly. Itachi stood by the side and observed the discussion with astute eyes.

_It seems that this group is involved with solving the missing children's case_…

"Sasori and Deidara?"

"We've finally discovered the source of poison from the remaining blood sample. There were a significant trace of Oleandrin and Oleondroside, possible only from a chronic overdose of the oleander plant, which I believe to be the cause of death. Deidara has already submitted the findings to the chemist and you can expect a report soon," Sasori spoke on behalf of the pair. Hidan yawned indiscreetly while Kakuzu took Minato's expectant look as his cue to report.

"Under your new order, we have tracked the robber and cornered him into an abandoned school before he surrendered." Minato could hear the weariness in his tone and knew that something was amiss. Kakuzu was usually upbeat during debriefs.

"But someone had to 'accidentally' kill the guy in his excitement," Kakuzu finished and tilted his head at Hidan, who was scampering to his own defence.

"Hey! Who knew that guy is such a pussy? I was merely taunting him with his blood and he couldn't stop twisting in my grasp…" He licked his lips in ecstasy at the thought of his gushing blood and terrified eyes.

"We were able to recover all the stolen loots and have returned them to the bank locker with an anonymous slip, and I have the body here for collection," Kakuzu said and passed Minato a blue scroll.

"Thank You. I understand that killing is inevitable, but I maintain that it's best if avoided; Hidan I'll not report what Kakuzu said to the committee but I'll schedule you for a month's counselling starting today as a precaution. Anything else from everybody?" Itachi felt that now could not be a better time to voice his burning questions.

"Is this some kind of undercover cop society?" Minato chuckled at his conclusion.

"Something like that." Pein stood forward once again to speak up.

"Beneath the surface, we call ourselves… The Akatsuki, where we assist the police force in some tricky cases… And you're now a part of us."

"Who knows, in this world of darkness, you could be our new dawn of light." Minato's soft eyes shone behind his words of prophecy, like he had a secret only he knew. "Alright, good job everyone. Class is dismissed."

* * *

"Itachi-san, are you okay? You seem a bit out of sorts," Konan enquired politely on their way to the cafeteria. She wondered if he was overwhelmed by the stun everyone unintentionally pulled on him, the poor dude. That was the reason she had insisted that Minato or Nagato to tell him the truth on day one.

"To be honest, not really. I'm still trying to adjust to this… Sudden turn of events." It should not sound so unbelievable that he was surrounded by a group of chakra users, or that they were secretly crime fighters and had not thought to inform him until now.

"Humans are generalists; we are made to be able to adapt and survive in a myriad of conditions, you'll be fine," Konan offered in her assuring tone that soothed him somehow. From the way she spoke, it felt as though she was speaking from experience.

"So, what brought you to Konoha?" One thing he had picked up during his treacherous waking hours in Akatsuki (the evil one) was to direct assumptive questions that seemed like he had prior knowledge. Although he already knew she was from Rain, he was _not _supposed to know. Konan spun her head towards him in surprise.

"You really are a ninja, aren't you?"

"I guess you can say that," He relied gnomically, the fact that modern day concept of ninja might be different from what he knew only occurring to him then.

"Did you really graduate from the Mist's ninja academy?"

"I did graduate from a ninja academy, but it's not the Mist's." He wanted to add that the academy used to be where the high school stood proudly, but that might raise unnecessary questions.

They settled at the usual seats by the east side and resumed their chitter-chatter.

Konan explained that Nagato and her were orphans from the State of Rain, and met their guardian Jiraya by the bath spring when Nagato innocuously followed him into the ladies' section.

"That sounded like him alright." He recalled Jiraya's weakness for woman and took up Kisame's suggestion of using that to lure him away from the juvenescent Naruto then.

"Did you say something, Itachi-san?"

"Don't mind me; please continue." Apparently, the story they were fed (which had not changed up-to-date) was Jiraya's pervy acts were done in the name of research, which he seemed to have taken too much pleasure in. Jiraya had discovered that they could manipulate chakra and began to train them during his half year sojourn in Rain.

"It was truly a miracle; it was as if we were destined to chance upon this great man."

"You have Pein and his curiosity to thank for." Konan nodded mirthfully. Gosh, she had missed that naivety; Nagato's gaits were much lighter then and his smiles spoke of freedom. Since they met Jiraya, he had grown into a man long before he hit puberty.

Their cries put the State's name to shame when the six months was up; Jiraya was leaving. He was surprised to find himself exceptionally attached to this duo; he had meant this as a way to do his part to make the world a better place, nothing more.

"Then he had to say something really cool, 'if taking you in can make you see the sun shine after the rain, then I guess it can't be helped.' Secretly I think he couldn't bear to leave us but was too chauvinist to admit," Konan recounted fondly, wondering if he still remembered what he said.

"I'm sure he feels the same," Itachi commented suddenly, his mind drifting to Naruto, the boy he deemed as Sasuke's sun and compass in his sinuous path to finding himself.

"About what?"

"That it was a miracle to have met you and Pein."

"Yo, what you guys discussing about? I'm Hidan, by the way. Need any tips for women and their needs; you're looking at the man who knows and have seen it all." His lascivious introductory was enough to throw off all hints of credibility and confidence Itachi might have in him.

"Nothing much. Just girls things, right Itachi-san?" Konan sent him an impish wink as Hidan shrugged off Itachi's disinterest.

"Your loss."

"You must be Uchiha Itachi; I've heard so much about you," The guy with asparagus green hair joined the table and extended a pale hand to shake with him.

"Nice to meet you too, Zetsu. And there's nothing much about me, please disregard what you heard," He answered bashfully, wondered what was being said about him. It did not use to bother him, this opinion of others, but over here, he realised he wanted to belong as much as he could.

"Rest assured, Itachi-san, it's nothing bad. But it was mostly about your uncanny resemblance to Kanae-san, and the rumours were true it seems," Zetsu answered.

"I see. Though personally, I haven met him, this Kanae guy." _And I'm already developing a distaste towards him_.

"Oh, you'll see. He's _one hell_ of a singer!" Hidan chipped in next to Konan.

* * *

Sasuke's footsteps faltered when he saw the male figure ahead.

"Itachi…?" At the mention of his name, Itachi whirred around and caught him in a paralyzed stance.

"Ah, Sasuke ka? Are you going home?"

"Er, well yea…" At the uncooperative grumbling of his stomach, Itachi's eyes softened and his mouth turned to form a smirk.

"Wanna grab something along the way? I'm just heading over to the dango store." He signalled with his good thumb sign pointed down the road.

"Er…"

"You don't want to?"

"No, that's not it! … Alright," He conceded since he was free for the afternoon anyway. It was just because he had time to squander, he vehemently reminded himself when Itachi returned a full-lip smile at his slighter shorter frame. They boarded a direct bus to the snack streets and quickly located the centuries old dango store.

As he allowed Itachi to usher him to the seats while he queued for the food and paid for them, Sasuke wondered what had gotten into him for the umpteen times this afternoon. For one, he was not even particularly fond of sweet stuffs. His back snapped to attention when he returned.

"I figured you do not have much of a sweet tooth, so I ordered something else for you," He informed causally as he inhaled a lungful of the pleasant saccharine scent in the shop.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen! Here are your orders – two cups of green teas and…" After the waitress left with a wink to Itachi, Sasuke scowled at his plate of delicacies.

"Mochis are sweet too, you know," He remarked ungratefully, and Itachi had to resist from escalating into a laughing fit at his juvenile demeanour.

"This is different, just try one. I swear your teeth won't fall off from eating this." He watched as Sasuke did an eye roll and poked tentatively at one of the powdery pink balls, before picking up his courage and dumped it into his mouth. It was not like he had a clue of the agony of decaying teeth.

"How is it?" Itachi asked as he chewed on his dango. _Mmm, I can never get enough of these_.

"It's not so sweet, I guess. I can taste peanut butter; since when do they have that?" He swallowed and made it his mission to polish off the rest of the half-dozen balls while appearing to do so under Itachi's duress.

"So how's school today?"

"The same old, though I still cannot get used to Jiraya's classes. He's too… Descriptive and far too excited about his teaching materials." He excused himself to order a second helping of mochis.

"What does he specialises in?"

"Biology; does he teach you too?"

"No, a pity or fortunately, I'm not sure," He smirked as Sasuke gobbled down his second plate and continued, "Is there anyone you're interested in?" At his abrupt question, Sasuke nearly choked on the munched up balls, and gulped down the green tea Itachi passed to him in one goal.

"W-What?"

"Or are you too shy to talk about it?" Itachi felt like a mean older brother, but too bad for Sasuke, he was really itching to hear about his love life. He remembered back then how his brother had to beg Itachi to fend off the entourage of love-struck female classmates after school. Oh, those good days.

"… Recently there's a girl who confessed to me," He mumbled grudgingly as the incident hit him suddenly.

"And what did you say?" Judging from his contemplative expression and straight face, the feeling was not mutual.

"I told her I'm not interested, and she had to cry on me. Such stuffs are so troublesome," He lamented with a shake of his head as he continued, "But the worst part was she had to do it during my brother's concert… You okay?" Itachi tried to suppress his coughing fit as he raised a palm in assurance.

"S-Sorry, you were saying?" _S-So Sasuke's the homo- the guy Sakura likes? Damn I think I scalded my tongue_. He hated it when he burned his tongue and it would affect the taste and experience of the remaining food.

"She confessed in the midst of the concert, and I was like, where did that come from? Anyway, we've been ignoring one another since," He shrugged and finished off his drink. Itachi was sure he was the only one giving the cold shoulder; Sakura would not want this to ruin their friendship.

"You know, it takes a lot of courage to do something like that," He tried causally, and Sasuke eyed him in curiosity. "As a rule of thumb, you should always thank the lady for her interest. Be chivalrous; that way they would take the blow better and things wouldn't get so awkward afterwards," Itachi advised earnestly while Sasuke mentally took down his tips. At least, those were what Kisame told him when he could no longer stand the way he always sharinganed his way out of confessions.

"So… What should I do now?"

"Go apologise to her and be friends again. You wouldn't want to lose a precious friend because of your impertinence." He seemed to be considering his words and regarded him suspiciously.

"Why do you know so much about this? Are you a player by chance?" Itachi downed the remaining tasteless tea and smiled enigmatically at his brother's look-alike.

"I can't even differentiate between a prank and a love confession, does that make me one?"

* * *

It was amazing, the way he could confide in Uchiha Itachi and how his supportive responses sounded so soothing to his ears. There was no room for pretences and pleasantries, but simply a time to pour out your guts and to connect over good food.

"Are you going home now?" They ended spending the day store hopping, each insisting on footing the bill for the next. Even though it was well over dusk, the bustling night life in Konoha never ceased to astound Itachi.

"Yea, I need to send my brother off to the airport for his tour." At the mention of his brother, Sasuke turned away in reticence, presumably to mask his gloominess. Just then a scrawny boy bolted passed them and ran smacked into Itachi's knees.

"Owww…" Itachi bent down to rub curatively at his dusty brown spikes.

"Are you alright?" He recognised him as the boy who he saw at the bus stop in the morning.

"Yea… Sorry about that!" He brushed off the dust and scampered off into the night. He returned his attention to Sasuke, who had been watching them.

"That's nice of you. I'm sure he'll appreciate it," Itachi affirmed. Sasuke glanced up in sanguine at Itachi's buoyant smile illuminated under the street lamp.

"I hope so."

* * *

It disturbed Sakura of the peanut of knowledge he had about Uchiha Itachi in ratio to her growing fondness to him. She tossed and turned to peer down at his still frame and his even breathing, an indication that he was still awake.

"Ne, Itachi. There's still a lot that I don't know about you," Sakura spoke behind closed eyes and wrapped the blanket protectively around herself.

"Hmm, what do you want to know?" As much as he wanted to share, there were certain things that he had to be careful about.

"Tell me about your family." His eyes peeled apart and he shifted his head to watch the ruffle of pink peeking out above her blanket.

"The graphical or verbal version?" Sakura recalled her jaw-dropping experience in getting a glimpse into his memories, and although it was tempting to wallow in his adorable adolescent form, she preferred to indulge in the tranquilising melody of his voice.

"The verbal version," She giggled coyly at the privilege and his surprising willingness to share. Her stifled laughter was interrupted by a sudden pull on her left arm, and she found herself collapsing on top of his hard muscles, where he swiftly rolled her over to his side.

"EHH?" He snaked an arm around her stiff shoulders, and gradually the frisson of bewilderment worn off and she allowed herself to soak in the warmth and body contact with this enthralling man.

"Are you comfortable like this?" His voice was barely above a whisper. She responded by twisting to face him and digging closer.

"Why did you pull me down like that?" She admonished him while the silly grin on her face belied any trace of her displeasure.

"So I don't have to raise my voice," He leaned in and whispered into her ear, sending sensual thrill throughout her body.

"Liar, you just me next to you right?" She purred as her hand crept onto his chest.

"So do you still want to hear about my family?" Sakura mentally rolled her eyes at his pathetic attempt of evasion, but nodded her head as she felt him clasped her hand in his tender grip.

"Well, you saw my Mother, Uchiha Mikoto, and my little brother. My Father, Uchiha Fugaku, was the Head of the clan and the Konoha Military Police Force. He seldom smiles and always carries a grave expression even on his off days," Itachi recounted affectionately, the pride apparent in his slightly upturned lips.

"He was especially fond of putting pressure on me, always calling me to his room to lecture me about my duty and honour. This naggy characteristic must be what caught my Mother's eye in the first place."

"Or maybe she imparted that to him," Sakura added as he flinched away to her poke in his waist.

"The ninja academy where my brother and I used to study was where your high school sat; on top of the existing subjects you are learning, there are also technique lessons. I remember the first technique we learnt was making clones." His fingers were twirling the strands of her hair, tickling her ear. She reached up to cup his hand against her cheek in an attempt to stop him.

"Like the ones you made?"

"No, basic clones are merely illusions. Then there was tree walking. It was to hone your sense of chakra control at specific parts in your body." He thought that was easy enough.

He smirked into the darkness when he felt Sakura' goose bumps as his slender fingers glided slothfully to and fro on her cold cheeks.

"Then comes the ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu. You've already know the last two. Have a guess what ninjutsu is?" Sakura cocked her head and drew no clues from his inscrutable face.

"Drawing power from the elements?"

"Close, but everyone is born with an affinity to an element. For the Uchiha clan it has always been the fire."

"Show me!" It was impossible to extinguish the ignited fire in her eyes. He adored how she would always get so excited when they discussed his abilities. He relished in her innocence – the way she viewed them as a natural phenomenon instead of a power to be feared or obtained.

"Alright, watch the sky… " He focused a miniscule amount of chakra in his mouth, inhaled and breathed out a steady stream of fireball, momentarily engulfing the room in an explosion of orange-red light. The fire soon dissipated, the only indication that it occurred was the lingering heat that settled over them like a cocoon.

"Holy shit… That's so… Convenient. It would come in handy should the house run out of gas or if I need to heat up the bath," Sakura hinted and beamed up at Itachi.

"This is not how we're supposed to use our powers, Sakura…"

"Like that stopped you from using it to heat up your bath." He chose to leave that open for debate. She angled her head towards him, staring intently into his black orbs.

"What are those eyes, the ones with red iris and three commas…?" Sakura trailed off as she reached up and brushed away a fallen lock on his eye.

"You mean this…?" Her hand flinched and her own eye widened in recognition at the blazing crimson that put the previous fire to shame. She swallowed in part-trepidation and part-fascination as she struggled to not get lost in the intensity of its colour.

"Y-Yea… It's so beautiful."

"It's called the Sharingan." He rolled his eyes around and relished in his sharpened senses and sudden vividness of the world around him. _I can never get enough of this_.

"The 'Copy Wheel Eye' huh… What does it copy?"

"The nin, gen, and taijutsu of others. It also allows the user to see people's chakra flow and anticipate the opponent's moves. This eye is also exclusive to the Uchiha clan," Itachi recited from the recess of his mind.

"I-I don't know what to say… This is a pure gift from Heaven, it's no wonder you love it so much," Sakura reflected and poked playfully at his cheek. He responded by grabbing her hand and used his other hand to pull her face close to his, their lips a hair's breadth away. If she moved even a little, she would be able to taste those dewy lips again…

"Y-You must miss them, your parents and your little brother," She whispered and was proud on Itachi's behalf to have such honourable parents, who sacrificed their lives to protect their village. Itachi traced her sealed eyes with his thumb, not answering her question.

Her half-masted eyes sprang opened as she was suddenly carried and lowered onto her bed. He leaned down and gazed into her sparkling jade eyes, then lightly bumped his forehead to hers.

"Good night, Sakura. Thanks for listening to my ramblings." With that, his head lifted from hers, leaving her heart pumping rapidly and lips wanting.

"G-Good night, I-Itachi…" Her palpable disappointment made his chest cringed in despair. Itachi released a controlled breath and shielded his eyes with his hand, deactivating his Sharingan.

_I can't… Involve myself with someone like her. A traitor like me shouldn't be deserving of her attention and affection._

What Itachi did not understand was that his heart was more traitorous than his rational mind could fathom; the moment he had kissed her, the heart that felt knew there was no going back.

* * *

**Thankfully for my last minute skills, I was able to cook up a chapter _and _made it for my school's submission. Watch out; fluffy level is gonna increase from here! (Though I'm not sorry for it)**


	15. My Beautiful Sakura

**Chapter14 Recall:**

Pein &amp; Minato revealed shocking truths to Itachi about the APEX, Konan shared about Pein and her past, another brotherly moment with Sasuke and an intimate story-telling in bed (because bed sounds more romantic than sleeping bag).

* * *

**Chapter15 – My Beautiful Sakura**

As usual, his consciousness would return at six in the morning, and he could feel the compulsion to get dressed up and head to the university. On most days, his presence was expected at eight, but today was not most days. He was ordered to babysit a guinea pig in case he tried to escape for the fifth time since his capture two nights ago.

He felt that he should be complaining, but his master's orders were absolute, and what was the harm in missing an hour or two of those useless lectures when he already knew them all?

He was later dismissed and rode to school to make it for his last class. He was told to be amiable but not overly amicable, and to ignore anyone whom he had no knowledge of. He would see through the masquerade till he reached the tail of his time-table and to report back, as usual.

By nature, he was not a confident person. With his nerdy appearance and ash white hair, there were stereotypes that were bound to stare for a second too long, but he was told to dismiss them and gradually he grew accustomed to these unwanted attentions.

So as usual, when he strayed by a fellow student with a straight black pony-tail who was watching him, the order rang in his mind and he paid no heed to his impertinent act.

Yes, everything was moving accordingly as usual.

* * *

Itachi's eyes followed his stride until he disappeared around a bend, where neither betrayed a hint of recognition to one another. He felt odd that Kabuto would fail to identify him in real life. He was a shrewd man, and people in his trade tended to be sensitive to the things they messed with.

If he was playing a humbug, it was unlikely he would let his cover slip, even if it were just them. He hoped Sakura was no longer dealing with his pretentious friendly façade – she was bounded to attract trouble should he stick around.

He fished around for Sakura's phone but could not find it. He must have left it at home; he glanced around and found a wall clock. He had roughly two hours for Taijutsu lessons before he was expected at home.

To say he was excited about the Hanami festival was pushing the luck; rather, it made him reminisced about the last instance he managed to glimpse upon the freshly bloomed cherry blossoms after a Bijuu retrieval mission. Back then, such beauties in nature were meant to be seen and forgotten.

It made him curious how such an idyllic day would turn out.

During Taijutsu, they were able to practice under the shield of clouds, spared from the relentless sun.

"You're getting better at defending your weaker sides, Sasuke," Itachi called out behind his raised arm.

"Hn, that's because I'm seeing through your moves! Hah!" Itachi caught his foot and pushed, wincing slightly at the impact to his left wrist as Sasuke did a back-flip and landed a few feet away from him. Itachi peered towards the stand to check the time, and did a lopsided smile at his sparring partner.

"Sorry, Sasuke, I've got to leave now. I have to go somewhere," Itachi offered apologetically. Sasuke growled and began to charge towards him.

"What? You don't think you can leave when I can finally beat you- Oww!" He pressed his fingers against the spot on his forehead, where Itachi had poked him.

"Maybe next time yea?" He cocked his head in amusement at the slight blush on Sasuke's cheeks and jogged over to inform Kakashi of his early leave. Kakashi eyed him up and down, turned to look at somewhere far away before he replied.

"Are you adjusting well to this life?"

"I'm slowly getting the hang of it, although many things remain puzzling for me," He answered honestly.

"Don't worry, you're doing fine," Kakashi assured him warmly. "You got a hot date later?" Itachi blinked at his abrupt question and closed his eyes.

"I don't think that is a date."

"Regardless, remember to bring protection; you can never be too safe."

"S-Sensei!" Kakashi chortled behind his mask and patted affably on his shoulders.

"Alright, shoo, you're dismissed. Have fun on my behalf, Itachi." Itachi thought he caught a tinge of remorse behind his eyes and concealed smile, but nodded and left.

* * *

To say she was excited was an understatement; the Hanami festival was the only thing she could concentrate on throughout her day in school. It was after all, her first official date with Uchiha Itachi. Not that he called it a date, but what else could she call it then?

As she dried herself up, she groped futilely for her bra and mentally cursed her distracted mind. In actuality she could strut around the house stark naked and no one would give a damn, but she had neither Ino's confidence nor Hinata's figure. She snapped out of her useless thoughts when Itachi's ringtone broke through the door.

"Hello, Hinata?" It seemed she had forgotten to pass him her phone from the charging portal.

"H-Hey Sakura, are you free to talk now?" Her lack of bust meant the towel refused to stay put around her; in her frustration she flung it aside. Who was she saving her modesty from anyway?

"Anytime for you girl, what's wrong? You don't usually call." She darted a quick peek to the phone's clock – it was still early so she could spare some girl talk.

"I-I umm, I need to tell you something… I'm sorry I lied!" She could imagine her bowing behind her phone.

"Uh-huh… About what, your virginity?"

"N-No! Remember the envelope; it's actually not from the admin office b-but from a guy…"

"Holy cow, is it a love letter? From who? What does it say?" Now she was curious – she carried her phone into her room and began to ravage through her limited wardrobe.

"I-It's from Gaara, I was so shocked! H-he asked me out to the Annual Hanami, which is today, and I don't know what to say when I meet him later and I'm afraid he'll be bored by my company because I have never been on a date-"

"Stop! You're scaring yourself! Don't worry, just be yourself I'm sure that was why he asked you out in the first place." Oh Gaara that sneaky little! She was definitely going to tease him about this when she met him the next time.

"Y-You think so? I-I think I better call Ino now and tell her about this too." She picked up her latest find – a baby pink cotton bra which matches with her panties and began to hook it on.

"Yes, in private, you can't risk the whole school finding out…"

"I'm home, Sakura-" The pair stared at one another, for lack of a better reaction, before Sakura caught Itachi's eye travelling down her face and they turned red, both for different reasons. Sakura felt the phone slipped out between her shoulder and ear.

"I-ITACHI…" _Talk about bad timing_!

"I-I'll just wait in the living room…" Itachi coughed before he spun around in a pirouette and darted out, closing the door on the way like a gentleman.

She was instantly overcome with a jolt of hysteria – she was so deep in her conversation that she failed to detect his entrance (this was what happened when you diligently oil your door hinges!) What was the point of covering herself now when all was seen? She shook her head in mortification and quickly picked up the phone.

"S-Sakura, are you still there? I thought I heard a male voice…"

"H-Hinata, can we talk later? And good luck on your date with Gaara!" She blew multiple kisses into the speaker and ended the call. Next, she reached her hand into the wardrobe and grabbed out whatever was in her grasp – an above-knee white doll dress with mid sleeves. She had no idea she owned something this cute!

After pulling it on, she quickly slapped on some pressed powder and a pink lip gloss. She puckered her lips in a seductive pose, deeming herself decent for viewing and called for him to enter. Oh boy, the things she subjected her poor tenant to.

Itachi closed his eyes to shake off any inappropriate images of Sakura and strode into her room, and found his eyes roaming down her body…

"How do I look?" Sakura did a little twirl and glanced up shyly at his impassive eyes.

"You look cu- presentable," He caught himself the last minute and watched as Sakura's face turned red once again at his choice of adjective.

"Alright… Let's switch shifts; the room's yours." Just when she thought she was growing comfortable around him…

* * *

Itachi emerged from the room radiating confidence and smelling fresh and Sakura could not control herself from admiring his physique. He wore a plain white cotton tee with rolled up short sleeves and a beige chino pants, with his usual silver necklace. Sakura got an idea and ran into her room and returned with a boater with a matching black band to his hair.

"Here, now you look ready for the festival!" She stood back and nodded at her artistic touch to his vintage look. He touched its rim seemingly deep in thoughts.

"It reminds me of an old hat I used to wear," He mumbled as he adjusted it on his head.

"You don't look like a hat person to me."

"That's because I'm not. Shall we go now? Let me carry that basket." He took over the basket of bentos Sakura had prepared for them and they left for the subway.

"Hey Itachi, what about that Suzumi girl? Isn't she coming with us?" Sakura teased on the way, taking the chance to find out what he did.

"She's been taken care of. And no, she's most definitely not coming with us," Itachi added with an incredulous tone, and Sakura giggled in delight at his easy dismissal to the girl.

_He quickly found her seated among her friends at the cafeteria and approached her from behind. She was visibly startled that he initiated a conversation, and could only nod numbly when he signalled for her to follow him to the pillar, away from the prying ears._

"_Thank you for your invitation, but I'll have to decline it," He began politely and bowed slightly, her letter in his outstretched hands._

"_W-What? Why don't you want to go with me?" Hirayama Suzumi said, clearly not expecting this rejection._

"_I'm sorry but I do not feel it's appropriate; we don't even know each other-"_

"_That's the point of this! For us to know each other and who knows, maybe we can click!" Suzumi exclaimed, not taking well to his excuse. Itachi expected a fight, but this was proving to be more tedious than he speculated._

"_I'm going with someone else." Suzumi might as well be slapped by him; but his unwavering eyes told her no amount of persuasion would change his mind. She sighed and managed to withhold the tears forming behind her eyes._

"_O-Oh, guess I was too slow huh?" She laughed and raised a hand to shield her falling tears._

"_Then I shall be a good sport and wish you all the best with that girl!" She thought she sounded like a saint, but she could not find it in her to throw a fit at this stunning man. Her good grace was returned with a relief and genuine smile – she felt her heart would melt and she could die then._

"_Thank you, Suzumi-chan._"

Sakura checked his face but found no scratch marks or swollen cheeks; he must have pacified the girl well. It would be embarrassing should she slap him in front of her friends; she cringed at the horrifying thought and Itachi caught her expression.

"Is something wrong, Sakura?"

"Nah, I just felt bad for the girl, I mean she must have taken it real bad!"

"On the contrary, she hid her emotions rather well and put on a brave front. Maybe Suzumi-chan was not as bad as I thought," Itachi concluded and suddenly Sakura did not sympathise with her as much as before.

"Come over here and tap your transport card on this machine," Sakura said in a monotonous tone and motioned for him to follow her. He frowned at her sudden change in attitude and ascended the escalator to the train platform.

Itachi marvelled at the rows of fluorescent overhead lights and LED notice boards while his eyes watched a vehicle longer than the buses he rode to school came to a halt.

"Follow closely; I don't want to lose you here!" Sakura foresaw this and left early to avoid the rowdy after work crowd, and though there were still no seats, at least they have _space_ to stand.

"Wah la! Another modern mode of transport – the train! We'll reach Yoyogi Park in last than half an hour," She announced proudly to her wobbly date who gripped the handle in time to avoid falling.

"Aside from the take-off, the journey is the smoothest compared to the rest I have tried," Itachi commented as he stared out of the window at the moving scenery, which were mostly concrete blocks.

"Well, if you like we can take this again some other time," She smiled and joined him to watch the view.

"You can almost see the tip of where the Hokage Monument used to stand," Itachi murmured to himself, reeling at what was lost and his past that almost felt non-existent.

* * *

Despite her good efforts, the park was packed to the brim, as this was one of the places where the cherry blossoms were reaching full bloom. Itachi helped to scan for a suitable spot to camp and pointed at a surprisingly vacant area under a fairly huge tree. It could not be better; it was slightly away from the crowd and faced the river.

Just as Itachi laid down the basket, _another _basket was placed next to his, and…

"The hell… Itachi-san?"

"Deidara?" Their expressions would have been comical to admire, if not for the mirror situation unfolding next to the boys.

"Haruno Sakura? What are _you_ doing here?"

"I-I-Ino?! F-Fancy seeing you here!" The two pairs crossed-eyed their respective company and for a while it was just the breeze and silence. Ino was the first to break the awkward moment.

"B-Boys, we'll be back shortly!" To Sakura she hissed fiercely under her breath, "Come over here for a minute!" She then proceeded to drag her away and stopped when she was satisfied they were out of earshot.

Deidara was not one to get left out and followed their example. But instead of tugging Itachi away like his date (like Itachi would bulge even an inch for the likes of him), he gestured for him to sit on the cool grass.

"Itachi-san, you know Sakura-chan?" Itachi mentally frowned at his first name address and tone of familiarity, and nodded.

"She's… My distant relative." He refused to offer any more than necessary.

"Oh, she and I used to stay next to one another; we're the cliché childhood friends!" He offered and cackled at memories of those carefree days of them leaving flowers by each other's doorsteps.

"I wouldn't have guessed. So are you going to give up this spot, or should I tell Sakura about what you did during homeroom?" At the mention of _that_ embarrassing incident, he darted his face down and pick up his basket.

"I-I'll just take the spot behind you guys," Deidara muttered.

_A few meters away from the flower boys_…

Ino was doing an akimbo and darting her head between Sakura and Itachi, who seemed to be engaged in a conversation with her beau. Sakura looked at anywhere but her dear friend, not quite prepared for this ultimate confrontation.

"I-I see you brought an interesting date with you," She began lamely, the irony not lost on her.

"He's definitely not as interesting as the _new student_ sitting over there whom I have _no_ idea about," Ino crossed her arms and she flinched away from her incandescent gaze. She gulped as though she was under prosecution for dating (it was a date right?) behind Ino's back.

"I-I kind of have something to fess up…"

"Oh I wonder what is it?" Ino answered sarcastically, and Sakura sucked in a deep breath as she admitted to the charges she knowingly committed.

"Well, you see, the new student and I, we are kind of living with one another…"

"Uh-huh, go on and say you're dating… Wait, WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? Live as in CO-HABITAT?!" Ino pressed her hands on her shoulders in agitation, and Sakura fended out her hands to calm her down.

"It's not as if we're _sleeping together _or doing anything dirty; he does his own things and I-"

"Sakura, that's not the point here… Why are two living together? Were you two that close? How did you two even know each other? Answer me, Sakura!" She thought she could see stars spinning, or maybe it was just her friend making her dizzy.

"I-I don't know, okay! One night I just met him and he threatened me to take him in if not he would kill me and given no choice I was forced to let him stay at my apartment-"

"He WHAT? Sakura, that guy is nuts! You got to report him to the police, not let him _lounge _at your house like it was perfectly fine to get death penalties by vagabonds if you don't pick him up by the streets!" She was shivering at the intensity of her worried glare and gravity of her words – when she put it that way, it did make Sakura appeared stupid and naïve for giving in to random stranger's requests.

But what Ino did not know was Uchiha Itachi was no _random_ stranger and he _did _have connections with Konoha's police force, so even if she reported him maybe he could still pull his ancient strings to tackle out of the situation.

Sakura could not tell Ino any of that, if not next Ino would be calling her nuts and advising her on a suitable asylum.

"I-Ino, he's actually not a bad person, and he had his reasons for doing that-"

"I can't believe you're still fending for him!" Ino chided and Sakura swallowed back her annoyance.

"Ino, you've got to trust me okay? I've been staying with him for nearly a month so I know what I'm talking-"

"You've been living with that lunatic for _a month_? I'm speechless, Sakura," She shook her head and it hurt that she refused to make eye contact with her. She held back her tears and grabbed onto Ino's hands.

"I'm so sorry Ino, I wouldn't have kept it from it if the circumstances weren't so… Complicated, but for now please don't say anything mean and just have faith in me okay?" Ino huffed in disbelief at her hopeless friend, who was practically _pleading_ for her to let her hang with that dangerous and lunatic man.

"First Hinata; and now even _you_! What's next? Telling me he actually has super powers?" Sakura's eyes widened and she darted her eyes away.

Her eyes softened momentarily at her teary/ puppy-eyes and she forced herself to take calming breaths to stabilise her raging mind.

"_Alright_… But that doesn't mean I approve of him." Sakura went from tearing to jumping for joy, but Ino could not shake off the nagging sensation that new student was no simpleton. _There's just something about him… That seems off_.

"Come on, they're waiting for us!"

* * *

Soon, darkness descended upon the park and the temperature plummeted by at least ten degrees Celsius; it was time for yozakura (night sakura). Rows of hand-made paper lanterns strung from trees to trees spontaneously burst into life, breathing orange-red lights through the ephemeral flowers.

"Now this is true art we're talking!" Sakura thought she heard that, but some artist _was _nearby. She grinned between mouthfuls of sake, watching Itachi sipped gingerly at the sake she bought for them on the way home just now.

"Come on, just down it in one shot!" Itachi snapped out of his reverie and caught Sakura's head tilting towards his cup. Did she think he could not hold his liquor?

"Why did you bring alcoholic drinks, Sakura? Are you of age?"

"What, you're my Mother now? Have you heard of the proverb _hana yori dango_? It's not a festival if it's not accompanied by great food and sake!" She slurred slightly and clinked her cup with his, bottoms up in less than a second. He frowned and stared at his own drink and followed suit.

After two more cups, he felt himself loosened up considerably, the sensation similar to removing his tie _and _shirt after school, and joined Sakura as they leaned back and supported themselves on their elbow to admire the night cherry blossoms.

He did not need to turn around to figure the smooching sound coming behind the tree was his classmate doing the deed with Sakura's friend, but instead of feeling disgusted, it reminded him of the one he shared with Sakura…

"Ne Itachi, these sakura are beautiful, aren't they?" She said in a dreamy voice with a silly grin on her face.

"No sakura is more beautiful than you, Sakura." Sakura's eye widened, the conscious part of her mind taking a gulp on her behalf, before she turned and found his dark eyes locked on hers.

"Oh, Itachi… Please don't say things like that… It's embarrassing…" Her eyes were shifting between his eyes and lips, unable to decide which to focus on. Itachi noticed and took that as a cue to lean closer, until their shoulders touched and mouths a petal's width away. He lifted a hand to cup her flushed cheek from the cold.

"Sakura… What are you thinking about now?" He asked in a low voice, his eyes lingering on her slightly parted lips.

"I…" He watched as she swallowed and closed her eyes in anticipation, and he gave in to temptation. Under the witness of the night cherry blossoms and luminous moonlight, he kissed her. This time, he was not holding back.

Sakura gasped softly at the rare passion Itachi displayed and he took the chance to slip his tongue into her mouth, reaching out for hers. She obliged, and Itachi carefully lowered her onto her back, where they continued their fervent and amorous kiss with their bodies entwined and hearts beating as one.

"I-Itachi…" She moaned with her hands wrapped possessively around his back when they momentarily broke apart to gasp for air. Itachi tenderly stroked her flushed cheeks. She blushed furiously under his intense gaze.

"W-What are you thinking about now?" She whispered and shivered with every stroke of his fingers.

"Hmm, that this is turning out to be a very enjoyable night, Sakura." Itachi's eye sparkled and they grinned knowingly into one another.

"Shall we… Continue?" Itachi asked politely with a hint of mischief. Sakura smiled in response and pulled him down; there were really no rooms for other things anyway, she thought smugly.

* * *

The next morning, she arranged to go to school early with Hinata to bring her up-to date about her life, more importantly, her 'happenings' with Itachi.

"W-Wow, I'm so happy for you Sakura!" Hinata gushed softly with her full-on smile, her apparent happiness infecting Sakura in no time. She expected nothing less from the girl who believed in the good in everyone, who reminded her to give even the meanest people a chance.

"You're not worried about what I told you about his background, or that he threatened me?" Hinata's eyes softened and she took Sakura's hands in hers.

"Given a choice, I'm sure he wouldn't have chosen to do that. But most importantly, he makes you smile from your heart Sakura. That's something you haven been doing for a long time." Their heart to heart talk was interrupted by a wave of venomous energy wafting from the classroom's entrance in the form of a tall blonde.

"Eeek, this is the part I dreaded since this morning…" Sakura mumbled to a nodding Hinata. Ino sashayed and stood by the ladies cowering by their desks, her full height imposing and gaze smothering.

"I have to say, you two are better at keeping secrets than I gave credit for," Ino said, then pinning her steel eyes at Sakura's guilt-ridden jade orbs, "Or should I say keeping man, huh Sakura?" Sakura gulped in response, before Ino shifted her eyes momentarily to Gaara's empty desk then to Hinata, who jumped in reflex.

"I should have seen it coming, huh? And he's just right next to us!"

"We're-We're not really seeing each other or anything…" Sakura lifted her head excitedly to Hinata.

"So how was last night? Did he do anything to you?" Hinata's face burst into a scathing pink.

"H-He said he liked my cooking, and he brought me flowers…"

"Please Hinata, everyone knows your culinary skills is unparalleled to anyone walking in Konoha; what Sakura is asking is whether did you two kiss?"

"K-K-KISS?! N-No of course not! It was just our first d-d-ate!" Poor Hinata, the world needed more of such innocence before everything corrupted into banging and slamming right after an exchange of telephone numbers and the first dinner.

After an interminable of teasing, the limelight fell back on Sakura.

"So you really have moved on from Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked softly. Sakura froze in her seat, and figured now was her chance to come clean with the ladies of what _really _happened between them.

"W-Well, here's the thing; remember last week when I attended Kanae Itachi's local concert? I actually met Sasuke-kun there too."

"I don't see how that links with what Hinata's asking." Hinata appeared equally puzzled and Sakura patiently continued.

"Well, something happened during the concert and I just thought of it now…"

"Oh great, another thing you conveniently neglected to inform your _best _friends," Ino huffed and flumped onto her seat.

"Ino let her finish!" Sakura smiled gratefully at Hinata, took in a deep breath and continued.

"And coincidentally we sat next to one another and during the middle of the concert…" She paused to sneak an uneasy glance to her friends, "I kinda confessed to him."

"Okay wait, what did you say did you just say CONFESSSION?" Sakura quickly grabbed her face and shut Ino's gaping mouth.

"Shhh please I don't need more people getting wind of my inglorious moment… And I need not continue for you two to know what happened to that." Ino sighed and threw her arms around her neck.

"Hey, at least you admitted to your feelings and told him, so no regrets there," She offered encouragingly.

"That's right Sakura, you are a brave girl."

"You deserve better than that sulky guy anyway." She was so touched by her friends and released a whimper of gratitude.

"After all, no sakura is more beautiful than you, right Sakura?" Ino winked suggestively at an increasingly mortified Sakura. _Oh boy_.

* * *

At the head of the corridor's T-junction, Itachi found himself faced to face with the least exciting prospect of the day, or more specifically, the person he least wanted to see – Deidara. Both men immediately stopped in their tracks and stared impassively at one another, uncertain of what to say. Deidara quickly collected himself, turned away to clear his throat, a light blush blooming on his cheeks.

"G-Good morning, Itachi-san."

"Good morning, Deidara." After their almost too courteous greetings, they continued walking towards the east, the memory of the previous night hanging between them like a thick curtain.

"Ano-" They began simultaneously. Deidara nodded for him to go first, ever the civil one huh?

"About last night, I hope we can reach an agreement to never mention it again," Itachi relayed in his most professional tone, reserved for mission reports.

"Agreed; not even a breath about seeing you stuffing your tongue down-"

The hint of murderous intent in those dark eyes was enough to shut Deidara up.

"Alright alright, all zip; your secret is safe with me. You can rest assured now, Itachi-san," Deidara finished with a mock salute, the seriousness eradicated in combination with his silly grin.

"That's the least assuring thing you can say to me, Deidara."

* * *

Itachi felt the phone vibrating in his pants and slipped it out – an incoming call from 'Shizune.' He was about to ignore it as usual, when the name rang a sudden bell. He might have recalled hearing the name from Sakura, something about her favourite staff at the Konoha Hospital.

_If it was from the hospital at this time of the day, it might be something urgent_.

He excused himself from the classroom and headed to the opposite end of the corridor and answered the call on its last ring.

"Hello Shizune here, sorry to call you in the middle of your classes…"

"Hello." There was notable pause on the other end, as Shizune double-checked her phone to be sure she called the right person.

"Isn't this Sakura's phone?"

"It is, I'm borrowing her phone. I'm her distant relative-"

"Ah Uchiha… Itachi-san ka? It's been a while; I hope you're doing fine?" Itachi was surprised that she still remembered his case, let alone his full name.

"Well yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking. You said you are looking for Sakura…?" He asked, stirring her back to the intent of her abrupt call.

"Ah yes. As you can see, Sakura has been working at our hospital for a while now has forged many relationships with our patients. She insisted that I inform her immediately should anything dire happen to any of those under her care so here I am… Are you still there Itachi-san?"

"I'm right here, do continue please," Itachi urged on, not liking where this was headed.

"Unfortunately, one of her closest wards, her name is Chiyo from the Sand, has suddenly passed away this morning. Would it be alright if you notify her of this? It doesn't have to be right away, as I'm sure you're in the middle of a class now…" Shizune informed regrettably, both towards Sakura and Itachi for burdening him with such morbid news in the morning.

"Yes I'll do it, thank you for taking the trouble to call. Then, I'm hanging, Shizune-san. No, it's no problem." Itachi replaced the phone and before he entered the classroom, he surveyed his classmates, in various degrees of consciousness to the ongoing lecture. Even as this pointless charade was going on, hundreds of people were departing from the face of Earth, regardless one was conscious of it or not.

Once again, he wondered how Sasuke was doing, and hopefully had reunited with Naruto and his friends in Konoha. _And perhaps, on his way to restore the Uchiha clan_?

* * *

Halfway throughout the class, Sakura felt a series of urgent taps on her shoulder, and she peeled opened her eyes drowsily. She turned around where Ino was pointing intently at the classroom entrance. Sakura followed her fingers and her eyes nearly dropped out of its sockets.

"Sakura, it seems that someone is looking for you," Kakashi drawled, zapping her attention to his Geography sensei. A commotion had descended upon the class, where everyone was busy whispering and pointing to the male figure by the door.

"I-Itachi? What are you doing here?" It seemed that Sasuke had spoken Sakura's mind and beaten her to it. Sakura hastily darted out of the classroom, paying no heed to her curious classmate's stares and Sasuke's gag. She dragged Itachi to the staircase and glanced up in concern.

"Itachi, is something wrong?"

"Sakura, I have bad news to deliver. The hospital just called to tell you that Chiyo of the Sand…"

"The hospital? Chiyo-baasan? Oh god, it can't be…!" The look of contrition across his doleful eyes was all the confirmation she needed.

"Yes, she has moved on. I'm sorry, Sakura." Sakura took an impulsive step back and if were not for Itachi's lightning grip, she would have tumbled down the forlorn steps.

"I-I need to go to the hospital now," She said through her vacant eyes.

"I'll follow you."

* * *

Shizune confirmed her time of death was around four in the morning, where her heart failed to pump, but the consolation was she had a peaceful departure. She had already notified her other known kin - Chiyo's brother and the necessary paperwork were taken care of, along with her wish of handling her body by means of cremation.

"Here are her belongings. There weren't much, but could you pass this to Gaara-kun who's currently in her ward now? Please see if he's alright; he has been holed up there since this morning," Shizune whispered worriedly. Sakura nodded numbly and went to find Gaara.

Everything was as it was the last time she visited, saved for the too well made bed and the slightly drooping stalk of pink carnation that Gaara must have brought in last night.

She found Gaara seated by the lone stool next to the empty bed, staring blankly at the pale blue blanket that was previously crinkled and filled with Chiyo's warmth. She wiped off a tear that had fallen unnoticed, and placed a consoling pat on his sagged shoulders.

"I'm sorry Gaara. The world will forever remember the great and energetic Chiyo, and the laughter she brought to us." He said nothing and closed his eyes, and Sakura's hand tightened when she felt a slight tremor from his body.

"Sasori is here, isn't he?" Sakura's body stilled in trepidation; his cold words cutting through the tranquil silence of the room. "I saw him downtown last week, strolling down the streets without a care for the people around him."

"At first I thought I've gotten the wrong person – the photo Chiyo has had been from sixteen years ago after all, but that wavy red hair and stony eyes were unmistakable. I approached him and told him about Chiyo-baasan's condition, but he looked at me and simply walked away. I was this close to punching him." Gaara's fists clenched in agitation, his body shaking in an entanglement of anger and sorrow.

"He just doesn't show it, but deep down somewhere, I'm sure he cares about her," Sakura offered, desperately willing herself to believe her honeyed words too.

"Chiyo-baasan… She's had such a sad life, and I could not even fulfil her final wish of meeting her grandson." This time, Gaara no longer held back his tears and he wept for his loss and the Sand's loss of a great politician. "I'm sorry Chiyo-baasan, I have failed you."

Sakura balled her fist at his disconsolation, thinking how unfair it was that he had to shoulder the burden by himself, whereas _he_… Wretched by the suffocating air in the room, she strode out of the ward, grabbed her phone from Itachi, and flew out of the hospital to speed dial Sasori.

"Hello-"

"Chiyo-baasan has passed away." There was a small pause on the other end.

"Oh, she did? I'm sorry to hear that." Sakura thought she heard the sound of a crack from her casing, but her mind was overwhelmed with toxic contempt to care.

"IS THAT ALL YOU CAN SAY, YOU BASTARD?" Between her running tears and welling vexation, she managed controlled breaths and in a barely contained civilised tone she continued, "W-Why didn't you visit her?" _Before it was too late_, she wanted to add but it _was _already too late.

Sasori remained silent, and fed up by his lack of initiative and concern she promptly hanged the call and rubbed her tear-stricken face into her palm in frustration.

* * *

When Sakura passed Chiyo's belongings to Gaara before he left, he told her to give them to Sasori.

"Chiyo would want that." They exchanged a brief hug and bid him farewell. Itachi accompanied her to sit by one of the white benches at the hospital courtyard, putting a temporary barrier between them and the smell of death.

Itachi wrapped a strong arm around her and she smiled as his confronting warmth seeped through her school blouse. She skimmed through her belongings in the transparent zip-lock bag and was surprised to find two small packets of unsalted nuts and no signs of her beloved sugar-glazed gummies.

"_Alright, I promise to quit eating gummies when you promise that you would confess your feelings to the guy you like," Chiyo said resolutely_.

"_The loser, or the promise-breaker, would be a pig, deal?" _Sakura had said.

"Looks like I'm a pig now huh?" She mumbled ruefully, remembering how she had chickened out before she could come to terms with her feelings. Another driblet of tear cascaded down her cold cheeks, bounced off the bag of nuts and seeped into the grass beneath them.

Itachi was silently observing Sakura; he felt his heart grieved a little as yet another tear escaped her puffy eyes. He closed his eyes and pushed her head onto his shoulder, hoping to shoulder some of her melancholy.

"Now Sakura, you do know, don't you? That she just went to a better place." Sakura closed her eyes to seal up the last of her tears and buried her head against the nape of his neck.

"Y-Yea." She thought she found his words strangely familiar. Wavering under Itachi's gentle coaxing, she found solace in his curative strokes over her hair. She felt herself began to relax as he hummed to a familiar tune, surprised that he was actually quite good.

Before she was lured to sleep, she thought the tune sounded suspiciously like her ringtone.

* * *

After persuading Itachi that she was feeling better, he left and she went to prepare for her shift at the hospital. Shizune was adamant that she should get some rest, but Sakura was insistent. Right now, she needed to keep herself occupied to leave no room for depressing thoughts.

"Thank you for your good work, Rii-obaachan," Sakura said and smiled weakly at the cleaner in-charged of fifth floor, where Chiyo once rested.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright? Your face looked as pale as the boy who visited last night."

"You mean Gaara-san? Yes, I'm fine, sorry to make you worried." She assured and adjusted her badge in front of a mini mirror in her locker.

"No another boy; he's around your age too. He came at almost midnight, went into Chiyo's room and stood there for a while, then left without a word." Sakura stopped whatever she was doing and spun to face Rii.

"I-Is it true? Does he have wavy red hair, and a baby face?" She thought for a while and nodded her head fervently.

"Yes! The reason I remember so clearly is because he came in after visiting hours, and when I tried to stop him, he threw me a glare that could burn walls- Sakura-chan where are you going now?" Sakura briefly turned back to throw her a wave.

"Thank you Rii-obaachan for telling me this!" She barged out of the hospital with Shizune's phone and using her trembling fingers, she managed to key in Sasori's number after the fifth try.

"Sasori-san, Sakura here. Can I meet you now?"

* * *

After she had attained her leave grant from Tsunade, probed around for directions, she replaced on her school uniform and left the hospital.

The bus took her to South-west Konoha, where Sasori's house was. This was a rudimentary part of the Leaf, Sakura noted as she passed by many discoloured buildings and asphalt roads filled with portholes. Even the trees were under nourished, many either leaning heavily to one side or bearing a crown of yellow leaves.

By the time she alighted, her butt felt sore from the bumpy ride, despite the relatively short trip. She took directions from a nearby faded signboard and after a ten minutes' walk, she was led to a wooded area with only a single storey building next to it.

It was made entirely of logs and next to the modest pitch-roof house was a make-shift wooden stage, where a puppet show was in progress. A bunch of kids were gathered by the elevated stage, eyes glued to the wooden puppets dancing about in harmony.

Sakura joined the back of the crowd and tapped her feet to the music playing in the background, and occasionally laughed at the slap-stick performance. She gasped with the kids when the puppets executed an intricate move, like a b-boy spin.

When the show came to a finale, the puppets formed a line and bowed, eliciting a cacophony of cheers and delightful cheers. Sakura's eyes narrowed at the puppets; was it her imagination or were there no strings attached to the wooden dolls?

The mastermind behind the performance emerged from the backstage, and the entourage of young audience rushed to be the first to embrace their idol.

"Hey you're so cool!"

"Can I kiss you on the cheek, onni-chan?"

"Can you teach me how to do that, Sasori-sama?" Sakura burst out laughing upon hearing that, instantly attracting the crowd's attention. Sasori looked up and nodded, then ushered the kids to the seating area beside the stage.

Sakura found a table away from the din of the jabbers and waited for Sasori to settle everyone. He grabbed two bottles of mineral water on the way and passed one to her.

"Your performance was great; I have no idea you are so adept with manipulating puppets!" Sasori remained wooden and drank his water.

"It makes them happy, that's all that matters." Their eyes shifted to the assembly of children no older than six, who were busy snacking and quarrelling over last touches and their favourite spots.

"Who are these children?"

"They are orphans. Last year, my mentor liaised with the nearby orphanage to hold weekly puppet making workshops or performance to entertain these kids," Sasori explained and that was when Sakura noticed that they were all cladded in simple clothing, some of which were spotting holes and sewed patches.

"I bet this was your suggestion, right?" Sakura quipped, remembering the first time they met and the goodwill he had demonstrated to the helpless little girl then. Sasori turned towards her in surprise.

"A-Anyway you said you were looking for me…?" Sakura rearranged her face and nodded solemnly.

"Right, I came to offer my apology, for both your loss and my harsh words. I'm sorry, Sasori-san."

"No, you were right; I'm not a good person-"

"I knew you visited Chiyo the night before she passed away." Her revelation stopped Sasori mid-sentence, and he evaded his eyes as she continued, "And I'm sorry for misunderstanding you." Her eyes softened in empathy to his circumstances and his faraway expression as he glanced fondly at the orphans.

"I know that deep down, you still care about her."

"I just happened to be in the vicinity…" Sakura rolled her eyes at the pathetic excuse, and quickly reached into her bag to pass him Chiyo's items.

"Here are her belongings. Why not you go through them and call me if you have any questions? I'll just be over there to play and talk to the kids, alright?" With that, she left Sasori with her stuffs and his quiet thoughts.

He peeled apart the zip-lock bag and tentatively took out an assortment of items - her favourite compact mirror, an auburn lip stick, a brown elastic head band, a miniature wooden mannequin and two bags of nuts. He picked up the mannequin and attached his chakra threads to manoeuvre its tiny form, remembering the first time he discovered his interest in puppetry.

Lastly, he took out a brown envelope that was addressed to him, and ripped it opened.

_Dear Sasori boy_

_I'm writing this to you because I know I do not have much time left, but with ample things to tell you. I hope you're doing well, both in school and in your life? You were such a brilliant boy when you were young, so I have no worries about your studies. But you're out there alone, which I cannot help but fret about every sleepless nights. It breaks my heart knowing that my grandson is supporting himself out there, with no one he's familiar with._

_After your sudden departure, it got me thinking about the corrupted system in Sand and the morale of the citizens. I think you'll be delighted to hear that the culprit of your parents' death was caught and sentenced to death the day after his apprehension. Turns out he was still mad that your Father insisted to marry the woman of his dreams instead of his younger sister, or more bluntly, for the sake of politics._

_That was also the reason why many people, including myself, disliked your Mother. Because of her, Sand had lost its advantageous standing from the past decades. You were so young then, it's no wonder you don't understand, and I don't expect you to; she's your dearest Mother after all. Which Mother could bear their children hating them, or vice versa?_

_That was why I decided to forgive your Mother; it was not her fault that she had to come from a normal family of no political standing. You made me understand that being happy and living with the ones you love is all that really matters; a family without love will never be a complete family. Oh, I'll never forget the night when your Mother wept all over me when I told her that I'll love her like my daughter. It was also the night of her death. The only confronting knowledge was that they died in the company of their love ones, and for that I'm glad to say your Father has in deed made the right choice._

_Remember, I'll always be watching after you from afar. Don't do things that you'll regret later on in your life; there aren't always second chances._

_From _

_Grandma Chiyo_

Below the letter written in fresh ink:

_P.S.: Thank you for visiting me._

Flicking off the fallen tears, he looked up towards the cloudless cerulean sky with eyes of gratitude, and for once, he allowed himself to believe that the sun was truly smiling down at him.

"Thank you, Grandma."

* * *

**I just had to mix up the festive mood with a dose of reality eh? Life was never just about the beautiful bits (even in fandom); it was only with a taste of bitterness that people will come to appreciate the transience of wonderful, sweet things. And Itachi was the embodiment of both.**


	16. Unconditional Love

**Chapter15 Recall:**

The Annual Hanami was finally here, and each of the three ladies brought along interesting dates and brought back unforgettable memories, an unexpected phone call from the Hospital and a glimpse into Sasori's unspoken life in Konoha.

* * *

**Chapter16 – Unconditional Love**

When their eyes met across the mass of bodies, both broke into an understanding smile. It was undeniably an indelible experience, and they were simply glad for the other being there.

After Sakura and Itachi parked themselves next to him, they exchanged greetings over the drone of the bus.

"I've passed her items to Sasori. He relayed his gratitude and apologies for his rudeness the other time you two met," Sakura delivered, pleased to play the mediator between them.

"Thank you, Sakura. It's not just for this, but for the whole ordeal. You've been a great help," Gaara declared and fished out a miniature wooden puppet. "I know this isn't much, but Chiyo-baasan instructed me to pass this to you; it's a thank you gift made by her."

Sakura took it from his palm, flipped at the bob of pink hair and gasped when she realised it was real. It felt exactly the same as hers…

"She once offered to cut my hair, I never expect…"

"She has been nagging me to bring her some bright hair dye for some time, which I refused for obvious reasons," Gaara revealed in a grave tone, and they laughed at the silly moments of the great Chiyo. Sakura straightened herself and began her drilling session.

"So… I heard some interesting things from my dear friend Hinata…" She deliberately drawled, and pulled a smug smile when Gaara's cheek gradually turned pink.

"… What about Hyuuga-san?" Itachi, who had been stationary by Sakura's side, felt his ears perked up by the familiar surname.

"Aw come on Gaara-san! There's no need to be shy about it – you like her, don't you?" Gaara swallowed his anxiety and focused on somewhere other than her eyes.

"… Do we have to talk about this?"

"Now, why not you begin with your date with her?" Gaara's eyes widened in appal, clearly speaking _how the hell does she know about the _date? Sakura knew she was far too excited about this, but she was dying to find out how such a quiet man like Gaara managed to reduce Hinata to a puddle (since she refused to say anything other than 'he's nice.')

"She's a sweet person; we talked about our families and we discussed recipes-"

"Y-You what?"

"Hyuuga-san's really a great cook. I was really fortunate to get to try them." From Gaara's expression, she gathered that he was genuinely interested in Hinata, and prompted him to ask her out soon.

"While you still can," She added so as to remind him not to take his own sweet time. Gaara eyed Itachi, remembering him from the other time he saw him at the hospital accompanying Sakura.

"Sakura," He whispered and she leaned closer to catch his words, "Is he your…" Sakura frowned and looked down at his pointed little finger and her face turned instantly red.

"N-NO!" Itachi glanced down quizzically at her sudden frantic, and discreetly pushing away Gaara's hand, she smiled sheepishly at her ignorant ninja pal.

_Although I do wish I am_.

* * *

When their eyes met across the corridor, his first instinct was to evade his eyes and pretend like they were unacquainted. However, Itachi's words rang across his mind, and deciding to listen to his advice, he nodded in her direction.

"Good morning, Sakura." At the surprised look in her eyes, he quickly darted his eyes away and shuffled consciously on his feet.

"G-G-Good morning, Sa-Sasuke-kun…" _Did he hit his head on the way to school, or did I make that up_? Sasuke cleared his throat.

"Can I ask you a question?" Sasuke's fidgety form was starting to turn contagious; she gulped back a ping-pong ball and nodded.

"H-How do you know Itachi?" _Huh_? Panic set in when she realised he was still hung up over Itachi's appearance outside their classroom.

"I-I er… We, uh, live in the same apartment- I-I mean same building and we saw each other a couple of times…" Sakura conveyed as convincingly as she could, deciding she would stick to this story should anyone asked her again. She wondered what Sasuke would say should he discover the truth.

"Oh, what a coincidence…" He probably would not see Sakura in the same way, she concluded.

"That's right; you're in the same club aren't you? I hope you're not getting your ass kicked by him!" Sakura teased with a punch to the air, hoping to steer his thoughts away from Itachi. Usually, challenging his ego would do the trick.

"Hn, who's kicking whose asses?" No way in hell would he admit the truth to Sakura. Her eyes softened; despite his retaliation, there was no denying the speck of admiration in his ebony eyes.

"He really resembles your brother, don't you think? I'm sure he treats you like one too," She added, remembering how Itachi always seemed to be in a good mood after his Taijutsu classes. At the mention of Itachi's name, Sasuke averted his eyes.

"A-Anyway, I want to apologise for last time," Sasuke blurted out. Sakura blinked.

"W-What last time?" Was she turning mad or was Sasuke seriously sick? Sasuke closed his eyes in part-frustration and embarrassment.

"During my brother's concert, I-I was kinda rude to you… And I'm sorry." Sasuke's eyes roved to her face just as her jaw loosened and fell and hit her feet. Her mind was doing somersaults and the cynic in her wanted to laugh right then. Sasuke, _apologising_? Had he been going for some counselling sessions?

"D-Don't worry about it; I've long forgotten about it!" Like hell would she forget about it, "I hope that means… We're still friends…?" She asked with hopeful eyes. Yes, he could be churlish and demeaning at times, but he was still her first crush. It was a miracle they were still on talking terms and Sakura did not want to lose this friendship.

Sasuke thought for a moment, before his eyes met her and he broke into his usual smug.

"Since when are we not?"

* * *

Good fortune was certainly descending upon the three ladies in Class 3A-01; despite all the poorly hidden dramas and tears shredded over the opposite sex, all of them had finally found one out of the millions to hold by the sleeves. One in particular had the poor sod wrapped neatly around her manicured fingers.

"I still can't believe you simply went to the festival with him after he asked once," Sakura began sceptically as Ino settled into her seat. She pouted at her less than welcoming greeting.

"Sakura, are you implying that I'm always playing hard to get?"

"N-No!" _Maybe sometimes_. "I mean he _did_ broke up with you with a crappy explanation; I don't believe you would let him off the hook so easily," She reasoned.

"Hmm, maybe I did ask him to do something…" She tapped her chins in thoughts and continued, "Like making him wear my bra outside his shirt to school…" She revealed with a cheeky grin.

"YOU WHAT?" Sakura and Hinata exclaimed in unison.

"It was just for his homeroom, I'm sure he'll be fine. See, here's a photo of him wearing it in class!" There in high definition colours, was Deidara looking dashing with a splash of padded pink bra on his chest. She had no idea Deidara had fell this hard for Ino until this.

"How do you know he wore it for the whole lesson?" Sakura questioned, noting the empty classroom and the possibility of him reaching early just to take that photo and removed the offending undergarment before his classmates saw. He was a sly one, after all.

"Oh, I trust him and even if he did, I'll still forgive him." They waited for her elaboration; she was not usually this forgiving and they wondered what other horrible sacrifices Ino might have put Deidara through.

"As I've messaged you girls last night, he asked me over to his house and Deidara and I talked for the whole night. Boy, his house still is as messy as I remembered two years ago!" Ino whinged, while the lazy smile and the glee in her eyes spoke otherwise.

"Oh, so basically you guys talked, made up and made out," Sakura summarised patronisingly, eliciting a muffled laughter from Hinata.

"Stop ruining my story! Or you'll get it from me later. As I was saying…"

"Oh, Hinata you don't really know about Deidara's story, do you?" Sakura suddenly chipped in.

"SAKURA!" Sakura muttered an 'opps' and burst out laughing. She recalled how Hinata would get all fidgety whenever Ino discussed about what she did with Deidara. They decided to put her out of her misery by sparing her of her recounts and sharing with Sakura in private.

"That's right; then let me tell you a little about his unorthodox life. God I missed him!" The girls giggled at the extreme understatement of the year.

Being a curious child, Deidara was fascinated by buildings' demolition via explosion and volcanic eruptions. Captivated by its flashiness and ephemeral existence, he started messing with illegal explosives in an attempt to recapture the flashy moment. It involved tons of research, bags of smuggled chemicals from the school lab and he would spend most of the time locked away in his room.

Eventually, he was caught by the school's surveillance camera and was reported to the Police station.

It was around the same time Ino had put a poisonous snake in a nasty girl's bag for being mean to Sakura and later on sent to the Police station for 'posing a threat to the town.' In her defence, she had no idea it was venomous and if she knew, she would not even dare to touch it, let alone approached it.

After writing off their charges as a case of callow, they were released and put under a month's probation.

"Keh, stupid place," They had chorused the moment they were out of the building. As Ino took in his long blonde hair and the defiant spark in his eyes, she knew she had to make friends with him.

"Hey boy, my name's Ino; what's yours?" Deidara's brow rose in both curiosity and shock. No, he was not taken aback by their similar hair colour; it was also not the mischievous smile that mirrored his that drawn him.

_She called me a boy, not girl_.

"Hi Ino, my name is Deidara. N-Nice to meet you."

Their chance friendship soon blossomed into the grey zone between friends and couples. Being the curious kids they were, they wanted to know how kissing felt like and without knowing the meaning of consequences, they reached a mutual agreement and gave it a goal.

Turned out, they loved it so much and had not looked by since their silly curiosity. While together, Deidara continued to secretly meddle with making explosives, while Ino occasionally assisted him by stealing the required ingredients.

A few years later as Deidara was approaching the end of his middle school year, he discovered someone had stolen his collection of ready-made explosives. While he shrugged it off as a case of bad luck, Ino knew trouble was nearby. A few weeks later, he was made a suspect for two of the local bombings, one of which involving Sakura's parents.

Thankfully, they only found his finger prints on the bomb planted in a park's public dustbin, which had no casualties and only provoked a couple of curses by the cleaners in charge that week.

Sentenced to do community service (being underage and all), he had to clean up public spaces for a year. During his shameful hours of wearing the neon vest, he began creating temporary art sculptures from the leaf litters and garbage he cleared. It attracted so much attention that he was later known by the area as 'The Blondist,' courtesy of a little girl who got tired of begging her parents to bring her to see 'The Blond Artist' and cut it short to save some syllables and saliva.

Hiruzen, the Principal of Kizuna then, got wind of the boy's exceptional talents and offered him a scholarship in fine arts. He jumped at the chance and was enrolled into the APEX programme for his following year's high school matriculation.

"So… The reason he broke up with you is because he thought there would be no future being together with an artist? But that's so…" Sakura was speechless, hearing it for the first time and for the stupidest reason she could ever fathom.

"He's so silly!" Hinata cried.

"Yea, I told him never to decide such things on his own again, that fool. Does he think I'm that superficial as to mind his occupation?" The power of love – it could turn even the most superficial person into a saint.

"Anyway, we're glad to hear you two cleared your misunderstandings and got back together!" Sakura clapped, feeling proud for both of her friends. Ino harrumphed, obviously in seventh heaven.

"I knew he was lying when he said he just was not that into me!"

* * *

When Kakashi failed to show up fifteen minutes into his lesson, Ino tapped on Sakura's shoulder.

"So what now, do you like that guy?" It was unusual for Sakura to be so _quiet_ about her budding romance with the new student, and she was beginning to grow worried.

Sakura's instinct was to deny any possible affection, but the serious look in her eyes told her that she wanted the truth, not packaged words.

Her mind floated back to the first night they slept together (separately) and how nerve-wrecking and awkward it was. Despite his initial hostility, it was soon apparent that his coldness was more of by default rather than immanent. It must have come with his occupation and _that _organisation he was involved in. He still did not tell her anything about that part of his life.

His unconscious thoughtfulness (automatically preparing breakfast for two, never once leaving his soiled laundry lying around), tolerance to her playing with his hair (maybe secretly he liked it?) and the comfort from an assuring male presence in her house had made her questioned how she once coped with solitary life. Hell, she really liked him. Just the thought of him these days was enough to lure a smile out of her.

"Y-Yea, I think, no, I do like him. But it might be impossible between us and I'm not sure of his feelings towards me. It might just be physical for him." She admitted with a note of depression.

"Why do you keep saying it's impossible?"

"That's because…!" She could not exactly revealed that he was not from their world, and should the day came and he needed to go back, it would be longest LDR anyone could ever imagine. Oh, to be precise, she would then be having a LDR with a hundred over year old dead man. She believed that it would not sit well with Ino. That was assuming there was web-cam over at his side.

"Y-You all know how he looks like, not to mention popular and incredibly intelligent. He just seemed so… Otherworldly," She reflected sadly, not too far from the truth. Ino burst out laughing.

"Oh dear Sakura, since when has that stopped you from pursuing the guy of your dreams!"

"I just don't feel good enough for him…"

"Hey look, if it's anything it's _he _who doesn't deserve you," Ino emphasised, making sure that Sakura was looking at her as she continued, "I still don't think the lunatic- that _Uchiha-san_ is the right one for you, considering his shady background and what he did to you…" _If only that was all to it_, Sakura thought ruefully.

"But! It sucks even more not facing up to your feelings and deceiving yourself that everything's okay. So, tell him." Ino shrugged, knowing that no amount of persuasion would get Sakura's mind out of him. She only hoped that she was speaking the truth about them keeping a clean relationship.

_If he dares to hurt my Sakura_…

"I-Ino? Are you okay? You look like you're ready to kill somebody," Sakura pointed out cautiously, not entirely clueless to her train of thoughts. She quickly snapped out of the various gory scenarios she had in store for Uchiha Itachi and flashed Sakura a dazzling smile.

"This time, remember to tell us _immediately_ when it happens, instead of a few weeks later!"

* * *

When their eyes met across the classroom, Deidara swallowed back his nervousness and tried not to let his guilt showed when he ghosted passed Itachi.

When Itachi had told him to not mention about his relationship with Sakura to anyone, he readily agreed not because he was afraid of him. Even though Itachi had not explicitly indicated, the underlying threat to expose _his_ secret if he did otherwise was practically boiling in Itachi's steely eyes.

_Deidara tucked his head as low as his neck could allow, cautious to keep his hair hanging in front of his chest to shield his new accessory. He made it a point to report to school earlier, in hopes to avoid even the most punctual Konan to quickly be done with this mortifying task._

_When he managed to reach his classroom with a faint trace of dignity intact, he broke into a spontaneous grin – there was not a single soul. After scanning the corridor for good measure, he deemed it safe and got to work._

_Tying his hair into his usual ponytail, he pushed back the remaining tresses behind his shoulder and sighed at the cotton bra restricting his breathing. How could anyone breathe in this was beyond him, not to say the enormity of it blocked his view of his feet. He felt pregnant in this._

_With his back to the door, he ensured the phone camera was aimed at his newfound breast and the rows of seats, and smiled for Ino._

"_What are you doing?" Deidara jumped and whipped around, his hand instinctively wrapped around his chest, finally understanding why girls always did that. Oh, it was just Itachi, staring openly at his chest._

_Wait…_

"_T-This isn't what you think it is…" What was seen could not be unseen; the sheer look of horror and disbelief was apparent even in his placid face. It rang disapprovingly at the stammering Deidara._

"_L-Listen Itachi-san-"_

"_You don't have to explain anything; I won't breathe a word about this." He raised his hand to block the disturbing scene and turned away. The unspoken 'and you better keep to the end of your promise or else…' hung heavily between them as Deidara scrambled to unhook the stupid cloth around him_.

"All the more reason not to let him know that I accidentally told danna about his date with Sakura…" Deidara muttered to himself as an icky sensation ran up his spine. Itachi's head was turned slightly, his frosty eyes locked onto his frightful pair.

_Gosh, did he hear that_?

"What did you say, Deidara?" Sasori's voice snapped him out of his stupor and he hastily shook his head. When he looked up again, Itachi was reading a book. It felt like he had imagined that creepy glare or perhaps he was really just afraid of Itachi.

* * *

"So Itachi how was your first mission with Kisame?" They had just returned from the seaside to intercept a drug smuggler; the moment their eyes met the smuggler began to tremble and dropped to his knees. He had instinctively activated his Sharingan. Thankfully his long fringe acted as a cover that prevented his partner from chancing upon his eyes.

"Minato-sensei, Itachi-san is a smoothie– when he yelled for him to stop, the man's eye widened and his knees just went weak! It was as though he just saw his wife coming at him with a butcher's knife…" He began to cackle at the poor bastard's pitiful cries of mercy even before he subjected him to his kicks and punches.

Kisame's description was untrue but not far off the mark. Instead of getting accosted by his wife, what Itachi had showed him was him getting his limps and legs chopped by his ex-wife, each accounting for his infidelity. At least he had a conscience to feel guilty, somewhere.

"We were able to apprehend him and destroyed the drugs but he was just a shrimp in the pursuit; he does not have a solid infor on the mastermind," Itachi reported dutifully.

Minato nodded and continued to listen to the other pair's reports. It seemed that every week, one pair would rotate to take on such minor cases while the rest would focus on zoning in on the missing children's investigation.

Their teacher had confirmed from the evidences gathered thus far that it was a likely a case of child kidnapping, but with no dead bodies found they were unable to determine the agenda of the kidnapper. It was a matter of waiting for his first slip, but how many more children would they have to sacrifice for their ineptitude?

"Minato-sensei, I've been meaning to ask – how is it that everyone in the programme could use chakra when I could detect none?" Minato seemed prepared for Itachi's question for he simply leaned back against his desk chair and smiled.

"It's called chakra concealers – I've placed it on everyone with chakra potency as a precaution. It only masks so it wouldn't affect the channelling should the need to use it arise." That was when he remembered the strange tingling sensation he experienced when he shook hands with him on his first day in Kizuna. Seemed like the present could never quite escape from its past.

However, the question remained – _precaution to what, or who_?

During their break, he politely declined Kisame's offer for lunch in favour to explore the records in the library. He grasped the duplicated key in his hand, memorising its ridges against his tender palm.

Konan had secretly forged a spare for his ease of access and passed it to him after they left Minato's office, with no further instructions other than to 'use it anytime you want.' Without him saying, she had anticipated his request.

The room was as his mind remembered, and he quickly resumed from where he stopped, right around the time of his death.

This time, he was ready and had come for the truth.

An hour later, he slipped out of the library looking as unruffled as always. But on the inside, he was smiling.

_Looks like there's a reason to go back after all_.

* * *

When their eyes met across the pavement, it was impossible to stop the spontaneous grin from overtaking her face. Never mind the fact that she was on time, but was that an actual smile on his face? If she were to be critical, she could just spot that spring in his usual mellow steps… Today was turning out to be an outlandish day, in a good way.

"Something good happened?"

"Nothing in particular, where to?" Sakura mentally giggled and told him they were going for lunch downtown, not entirely lying. The wait was over and she could finally fulfil the long due task.

She grabbed his arms when he instinctively veered towards the bus-stop, and continued to lead them down the pavement. She refused to satisfy his questioning gaze; while he was seldom led by the collars even with Kisame, he decided to play by her plans just to amuse her.

Not too soon was he pulled into a small shop, with ample claims that she just wanted to 'see something.' Behind the glass display cabinet a middle-aged man with floppy black hair and a modest build greeted them, and Sakura extracted herself from his side to fiddle with the assortments of sample phones by the wall. As she twiddled away with a new model, he solidified next to her, barely in time to hold his fingers against his eyes to stop them from falling out.

"Is there anything you like?"

"T-These things… Is it typical for these…Devices to cost this much?" He mentally counted the number of zeroes on the price label at least ten times, and the amused expression on Sakura's face was not helping. It felt like a conspiracy between her and the employee to pull a prank at him. These miracles of the modern era cost nearly the pay he would receive for at least five A-rank missions.

"Oh, you have fine taste, young man. The phone trembling in your hands happens to be a limited edition variation of a recent model. It boosts an upgraded eight megapixels with face-detection, a more precise accelerometer, quad-core graphics and complimentary three extra gigabytes of cellular data if you sign a contract with us," The man kindly informed, and it took Sakura's sheer will not to collapse into hysteria at his unresponsive face. Though to be fair, even she did not catch some of the friendly man's computer lingo.

"It just means this phone is better than it used to be," Sakura whispered helpfully, and he nodded like it all suddenly made perfect sense. Her eyes dropped onto the red device, only then discovering it was the same model as hers.

"Do you like it?" The hopeful glimmer in her eyes had him suspecting whether she had forgotten his identity.

"I think I'm the last person you should be asking with regards to t-this," Itachi replied as-a-matter-of fact, but at last nodded when he realised she was not taking a no answer as an answer. A victorious grin spilt across her face and she raised a thumbs up at the salesman, already in the midst of pulling out the contracts.

She hastily filled in the man with his mostly honest particulars and with a resolute sigh, willingly handled over a few hundred dollars notes over the sales invoice.

Thanks to his lightning reflexes, he was able to stop the absurd transaction in time, his strong hand wrapped determinedly around her lithe wrist.

"What do you think you're doing, Sakura?" Before she succumbed to his intimidating stare, she forcefully pried his hand off hers and passed her one month's worth of hard work and OTs to the visibly relief man. He placed the phone's package into the glossy plastic bag, along with a flat box.

"As part of this phone's promotion, the first ten customers will receive a complimentary touch-screen tablet that allows you to sync with this phone!" Before Itachi could make a scene about '_more of those expensive shit?'_, she rattled off a string of heartfelt gratitude for his services and dragged Itachi out of the store before he could set the man on fire.

When he refused to bulge an inch from the entrance, she heaved a loud sigh and gazed resignedly into his stern eyes.

"Fine, I didn't mean it when I said I just want to see something. I finally have the means and it's about time I got you a phone, it's a must-have," She said, slightly thrusting the bag up to prove her point.

"Not for me; I've lived my life without this."

"It's not too late to start now." She cocked a suggestive eye-brow at his unconvinced face.

"Fine, then I'm going to pay you back." Even as he said it, he had no ounce of an idea how.

"N-NO! Just take it as an advanced birthday gift!" She persisted, and she saw some of the fight left his eyes. _Birthdays, huh, what a nostalgic term_…

"What I can do in return?" Sakura contemplated seriously for a moment, but only one thought surfaced. She ducked her head away from him and bit her lower lip.

"K-Kiss me." Her voice was barely a whisper, her breath of impulsiveness long carried away by the sudden gush of chilly wind.

"If that's what you want…" She was shocked that he actually heard her, and her uncooperative heart begin jumping in delight and anticipation.

"Are you sure? We're in public." She knew she was the manifestation of female contradictory, but she could not help it; as much as she wanted to feel his soft lips on hers, it would be another case if it was coercion on his part.

She felt his tender fingers against her chin tilting her face up. Swallowing back the bile of nerves, she tentatively allowed her eyes to find his, hit by a wave of embarrassment as his were locked on her slightly parted lips.

Slowly, he leaned forward, titillating her with his speed and willing him to just it over with. Gosh, he was really kissing her; engulfed in momentary darkness her awareness to his intention and proximity heightened to out of the scale bar and just as she felt his other arm snaked around her waist…

"Hey Sakura-chan! What are you doing here?" Like a tyre screeching to an awkward halt, her eyes sprang to life and Itachi's face roved in front of his, staring at her, tantalisingly out of reach.

Reluctantly, as Itachi put some distance between them, she turned around to greet the untimely intruder. Was it her imagination or was there a spark of annoyance…And disappointment in his onyx eyes?

"H-Hey, Dei, why are you here?" She asked behind contrived smile, and noticed he was not alone. "Oh and hey Sasori-san." Her eyes softened and they shared a small knowing smile.

"That's not very nice, Sakura-chan… Why _can't_ I be here? And why are you smiling so sweetly to Sasori-da…nna… Hey Itachi-san, hmm." He nodded warily at him, only suddenly aware of his presence. Sakura's head went spinning between the boys, not quite getting the equation.

"We're classmates," Itachi answered softly behind her, liberating her of her confusion and she marvelled at the coincidence. However, the guarded expression plastered over all Deidara's face told her they were definitely not on cosy terms. That intrigued her somehow. Deidara hastily continued.

"A-Anyway, nice to see you two-"

"We're heading to a nearby pastry for a quick snack, wanna join us?" All eyes swept towards the deadpanned red head, seemingly immune to their baffled expressions. It was probably because Sasori did not talk much, much less casually opened an invitation for _pastries_.

Sakura had enough; she needed to check into the nearest hospital immediately or next she would be thinking she could breathe fire.

"O-Okay, what about you, Itachi?" She asked at last.

"I don't mind either."

"Wait, you're coming? N-Not that I don't want you to be there or anything! Of course I would _love_ your company!" Deidara said with a strained smile. Sakura's head spun between Deidara and Itachi, confused by their relationship more than ever. Her eyes lingered on Deidara's chest for a moment. Now was the chance to get back at his earlier interruption.

"Dei, is it me or your chest looks a bit _flat_ today…?" Itachi turned his head in time to bite back a smile while Sakura was shamelessly grinning from ear to ear.

"What do you mea…?" His dilated eyes shot towards Itachi. "Itachi-san, you didn't…!" Itachi snorted at his vengeful eyes and accusing finger.

"If you're implying that I told Sakura about your little antics in class-"

"What antics?" Sasori interpolated when he could no longer follow-up on their crazy repartee. As though only realising his presence, Deidara jumped in part-reflex and fear. He was certain that Sasori would definitely not appreciate having a BFF who paraded around in a pink padded push-up bra _outside _his shirt as a pastime.

"D-Danna, it's nothing-"

"Deidara was attempting to hide a bra underneath the teacher's desk and I caught him in action," Itachi interjected, surprising the both of them. Sasori eyed the pair charily; he could not decide between cutting off immediate ties with a pervert he called friend or whether Itachi was lying. He could not shake off the sensation that something was going on between them. Then there was the question – why would Itachi lie for Deidara?

"I owe you one," Deidara hissed under his breath when Sasori was immersed in a conversation with Sakura. Itachi harrumphed and looked away from his pathetic form.

"I didn't do this for your favour; I'm merely keeping my promise."

* * *

"Danna, you're acting weird and I'm concerned, hmm," He whispered as they stepped through the entrance of the dango store.

Honest be told, even Sasori admitted that he was behaving out-of-character, bordering onto unacceptable based on his moral standards. The curtain of darkness that had enshrouded him over the years had become his comfort zone, and he never thought to question that unconventional notion. He was completely fine to live a life of solitude.

That was until he saw that the edge of the curtain was lifted; even if it was just a little, he discovered he did not mind the glimmer of light that was making its way towards him. However deep the abyss, it was no excuse for the light to stop searching and reaching out to touch him.

Stealing a glimpse at the shimmer of light next to him, he understood what he had to do. He wanted to protect that ray of hope.

However by the looks of it, someone had beaten him to it, and he was still unsure of what to make of Uchiha Itachi. He was simply too subtle and reticent unlike a certain opened book, but what was puzzling was the relationship that man shared with Sakura.

He saw them long before Deidara called out to her and his eyes narrowed critically at the pair parked outside the phone retailer. He took in their body languages and the easy way both were carrying themselves with the familiarity of a close confidante; Deidara had not lied.

When Itachi suddenly bent towards Sakura with one arm slowly winding around her slim waist, Sasori had almost shouted 'get away from her,' and could never imagine he was actually thankful for Deidara's interruption. It certainly saved him from making a fool of himself.

"Is anything the matter, Sasori-san?" Itachi asked when he noticed Sasori was watching him. Sasori adjusted his eyes to match his discerning ones, which conveyed attention and nothing else.

"It's nothing."

* * *

As the pairs went their separate ways, Itachi gestured to the washroom and told Sakura to wait for him at the bus-stop. Sasori was waiting for him by the alley next to the store, his body partially submerged in the shadow, his expression even more obscured than before.

Not one to retreat from darkness, he entered the narrow space and leaned against the dusty concrete wall opposite him. Anyone passing by could easily miss their slim frame; it was surprisingly easy for them to blend with the gloom.

Sensing that there was no need for pleasantries, Sasori went straight to the point.

"Does she know who you really are?" Itachi wanted to say yes, then he realised he had been lying for so long that that would be a lie. As hours lengthened into days here, even he forgot who he really was. All along, he had only allowed her to see him as he dictated; a half-truth was no different than a whole lie. When he did not respond, Sasori continued.

"Being in the Akatsuki means you'll be embroiled in endless dirty jobs, with most of them being potentially dangerous. Are you okay with putting her in danger?" It just occurred to him that Sasori was not referring to his former life, and he smiled dryly. It was no wonder why a new born bore no memories from his past life; it would have been a pain in the ass.

"I believe what goes on between her and me has nothing to do with you," He answered instead, and locked his eyes to his, "Why do you even care?" Sasori returned his cold stare with a thoughtful cock of his head.

"I owed her one. She didn't have to, but she did it anyway. I have to protect her best interest, even if it means separating you two." He cringed internally in disbelief that he actually uttered something so mushy, the words leaving a funny aftertaste.

"I won't let anyone hurt her, even if it means killing them." Oh yes, the murderous gleam in his eyes left no doubts on his threat. Should talks come to fights, even Sasori was aware that he was no match against him. He was after all, the renowned new ace of the Taijutsu club.

"I have looked you up, and interestingly your timeline only began from the day before your enrolment. It was as though you never existed until then. Only people with a history to hide would wipe clean their records." The unspoken sentence – _and you are definitely not someone safe for her to stay with_, hanged stagnant in the air as he continued, "What makes you think that your past will never catch up to you?"

"I would never hurt her, not when I can help it," He replied with a fierce glimmer in his eyes. He knew the day was approaching, that his past _was_ looming closer, and his only hope was for her to not be devastated.

"And when that happens, I would most likely be gone for good." It did not escape Sasori that he said 'when' instead of 'if,' as though he had already anticipated the day was imminent.

* * *

He did not utter a word during the trip home, either did she commented about his far too long washroom trip. Surely he did not go back for touch-ups?

As Sakura lay still on her bed, Ino's words drifted through her restless mind. She was never one to be so indecisive, but the last time she mustered the courage to make her feelings known, it ended with a happily never after.

_Hey, he apologised and you two are friends again. You can finally move on in ease, isn't that great_?

She hated her rational side sometimes; it made denying all the more tougher.

_And what have you got to lose_?

She liked him, and she needed him to know, before she was suffocated by her overwhelming love and died without leaving him those invaluable last words.

She was about to call out his name when she realised she was alone in her room. She reached down to touch his sleeping bag and felt some of his residual warmth seeped into her fingers. Knowing him, there was only one place he would visit at this time of the night.

Forgoing with the trouble of insulation, she slipped out of the comfort of her warm apartment in only her red sleeveless top and navy blue skirt. She recalled his discovery of a secret shortcut into Yonder Forest, somewhere through the hole in the fences next to her block.

Carefully going through the make-shift hole, she traced an artificial trail into the tenebrous woods, scantily lit by the gibbous moon. She felt really dumb not to have carried a torch with her, and then giggled out loud to herself. _Well, I _am _carrying a torch, just not on my hand_.

Suddenly, there was a sensation of her being watched; she hugged herself and delivered a series of surreptitious glance around her, cursing the darkness and what it was doing to her mind. Her first thought was to shout for him, and a small movement above her caused her to stumble on her growing fear and fell back on her rear.

A tall figure landed in front of her, and her instantaneous scream filled the deafening silence. The dark form crept towards her, and she frantically crawled on all fours away from it, her tearing eyes desperately willing it to leave her alone. A hand stretched forward.

"N-NOOO!"

"Sakura, it's me!" Her back hit a tree trunk, and she leaned heavily against its rugged surface, inhaling generous amounts of the musky air mingled with his assuring scent. When she seemed to have calmed down, Itachi frowned quizzically at her.

"Sakura, what are you doing here? It's dangerous-" She embraced his kneeing form like her life depended on it, the strength and shakiness conveying her lingering terror and delight at seeing him once again. At a loss, he returned the hug and ran his hand soothingly along her back. After a while, he gently pushed her away and sat next to her.

"Are you feeling better now?" She returned a feeble nod, and for a moment nobody talked.

"I-I came to look for you, because there's something I have to tell you," She whispered behind her raspy voice, and their eyes met through the silver of moonlight. Itachi felt his heart began to beat erratically; he cursed the moonlight and what it was doing to his mind.

_Does she know who you really are?_

"Itachi, I-"

"Before we move on, there's something you need to know, about me." She took in his hardened gaze and the unaccounted sense of enervation that had settled over him.

"Yes…" The gravity in his eyes was scaring her.

"I wasn't some upright ninja who undertook missions and only kill when necessary. I was a wanted criminal, one hated by all from my village." Despite his words, there was no bitterness, as if it was his fate to be branded one.

"What do you mean? There's no way you're a bad guy!" Sure, he could appear murderous when he wanted to, but that did not make him one! Itachi's eye broke away to turn towards the louring clouds creeping below the sky.

"Remember when you asked me about my family?" Oh, it would take a lot of terrible memories to drown out the night he left her wanting him, she thought embarrassingly.

"Yea…? They sounded really nice; I would have loved to meet them…"

"Do you know why they are dead?" Why was he asking her this? She levelled his eyes at his slightly trembling hand rested atop the dirt path.

"W-Well, from the records it said that the Uchiha clansmen perished in honour from defending the village…"

"Those were lies." She sought for confirmation, but he refused to meet her eyes.

"Huh…?"

"They were planning a coup d'état on the village but before the night of execution, they were annihilated." His tone was tired, resigned; the depthless sorrow over their undignified death was palpable in his deep eyes staring ahead.

"Annihilated…? Wait, wasn't that just a rumour?" Why would they attack their own village? They were one of the most powerful and renowned clans, with deep roots in Konoha.

"They were single-handedly slaughtered alive by one of their own, and that was the truth." He was finally staring at her, but this time there was a menace in it, and Sakura felt herself retreating into the trunk. Unknowingly or not, his blazing Sharingan was blinking back at her poorly disguised petrifaction.

_It could not be_… It had just occurred to her that she was talking to an Uchiha and she tried to push away the nagging alarm. As realisation dawned behind her jade eyes, Itachi cracked a faint smile that never reached his crimson eyes.

"I was the one who killed them all, including my own parents." _Who I left for the last_, but he left that out, feeling insanely naïve to think that after wiping out the rest of the clansmen it would be things easier. Numb from incessant murder. He did not for one second imagine that what that did was only to make his blade faltered, and caused his heart to shatter beyond repair.

Things like killing your parents never got easier.

"That's a sick joke right? Y-You're just lucky to survive…" They were fully aware that her words were a feeble attempt to deny the truth. It was a distant star that you could only hope to grasp and even after reaching it, to realise it was all along an illusion.

"Sakura, I'm a murderer. And you should not be with someone like me."

Sakura was ready to get up, to run away from the living nightmare of being in the presence of a walking killer of his own _parents_, and forgot about this whole episode and her silly crush. However, her legs refused to respond; her words of disbelief and anger were stuck in her throat as she raised a shaky hand towards his face.

"If you really are a cold-blooded murderer as you said, you wouldn't be showing me this expression, or shedding this teardrop of humanity," She whispered softly, her vision blurred by her welling tears as she wiped off his stray tear.

"If you really are a cold-hearted murderer as you think you are, you wouldn't have sounded so affectionate when you talk about them with such sorrowful eyes," She continued, and bent in to kiss the spot where his tear had fallen. His eyes continued to search hers for any hints of deceit, waiting for the moment for her to just walk up and left him to be consumed by the darkness.

"The moment you raised your blade against your clansmen, you lost all self-respect. Your life is no longer yours," He said behind his blazing red eyes.

"That doesn't make your life less precious than others. You're still a human, like others," She countered, shifting closer to cup both her hands against his cool cheeks.

"I cannot give you what you deserved," He answered, his tone pained and eyes filled with hurt.

"I decide what I get to deserve," Sakura whispered and leaned in to press a firm kiss against his slightly salty lips. He remained motionless, but as she deepened the kiss he quickly responded by securing her into a tight embrace. With their bodies flushed as one, he returned her affection with one that suppressed all that Sakura had tasted. She was assaulted by a wave of heat right to her core, with his tongue expertly teasing hers, conveying all sense of gratitude and passion that no words could effectively described.

Between their fervent kisses, she muttered, "I love you," over and over. She was not sure whether did he hear her, but it mattered no longer. He did not respond to her feelings with similar words of assurance, but that did not matter either. Her heart was his to keep, indefinitely.

* * *

**There is a myth that humans were originally born as one body with two genders, and incredibly powerful to the point of threatening the power of gods. To protect their throne and to punish their pride, Zeus split humans into half, causing one half to forever long for the other half. When the two finally met, there will be an undeniable understanding towards one another, and it is said that you have found your soulmate. and How many of you believe in that story? For one, I do!**

**Sorry for the wait, ShikallllTema!**


	17. Never Alone

**Chapter16 Recall:**

Sasuke followed Itachi's advice and learnt to behave like a decent human; Ino recounted her relationship with Deidara, a brewing friction between Deidara and Itachi and a gift to Itachi by Sakura; a concerned Sasori and a confession under the moon.

* * *

**Chapter17 – Never Alone**

As usual, he reported to school with no abnormalities at the basement. The freshly developed drug was proving to be a huge success to succumb the brats' clamours. He breezed through the throng of crowds along the walkway as fluidly as water, but not quite as invisible as the air…

"Hey Kabuto!" Her sudden greeting automatically triggered his memory, which stated he was supposed to be on good terms with her, being fellow medics and all.

"Ah, S-Sakura…chan ka? Good morning," He replied with as much mirth he could summon. Why in the world would his master be on any terms with her was beyond him; she was the embodiment of everything against his nature – flashy, over-zealous and definitely too gregarious to maintain a low-profile.

"I want to thank you for saving Suu-san the other day; how did you do it?" He searched his mind for an image of Suu; ah that middle-aged man with a fetish for young male nurses….

"Oh don't worry about it; it was all about finding his exact needs and treating him from there…" His eyes slanted towards the man standing slightly behind Sakura. It was only then he realised this was the same man from the other time who stared holes into him. She caught his flick of eye and swiftly introduced Itachi to him.

"Oh, this is Itachi, as I'm sure you already known."

The name rang a bell – he had heard it being thrown around on several occasions when he passed by groups of girls and glimpsed upon it on several more advertorial posters. Quite timely, the school bell rang ahead of them, signalling the start of school. As Sakura waved away and hurried through the high school's gate, Itachi was already nowhere to be seen.

The pathway was all but empty, spared for some fallen leaves and Kabuto, a sickening smirk growing on his face. _That damn singer is back_, he thought smugly.

* * *

"Guess what; I've told him," She causally announced the moment she sat.

"Wow that's fast!"

"Then what did he say?" The girls wasted no time with preambles, with tables readily shoved aside and chairs shifted together around her.

"He didn't say out loud that he loves me…" The horrified look splashed across their face was almost comical, but their sympathies were not discouraging. If anything, it affirmed her of her decision. "But it's okay. I wouldn't want him to say it just because I did. It should come from his heart and until he's ready, I shall wait patiently by his side."

They exchanged uncertain glances, but the positive glow radiating throughout her body was an indication that she was far from being defeated. Haruno Sakura was ready to fight for her happiness. They embraced her in a tight hug.

"Sakura, you've grown up."

* * *

Pulling out the complimentary tablet, he racked his brain for Sakura's instructions and turned it on. Hesitantly, he unlocked the screen and clicked on a book icon named _My Secret Diary_, which she had downloaded especially for him. It had never occurred to him to leave behind a recount of his little adventure here until Sakura mentioned it.

He took a deep breath and attempted his first entry for Sasuke.

_Dear Sasuke, this is Uchiha Itachi leaving a message for you_. This felt too stiff and almost like a voice mail. He spammed the backspace and rephrased his thoughts.

_Dear Sasuke, guess what, your older brother is still alive_. He could already imagine his look of disbelief; never in a hundred years would Sasuke buy that. If anything, he would only break down in laughter and promptly set the tablet on fire at the pathetic joke. Backspace, backspace.

_Dear Sasuke, guess you hadn't changed even after a hundred years; you're still as full of yourself. But don't worry, I've beaten some sense into the future you_. He frowned at his motherly tone, not exactly the kind of exciting last words any sibling would be expecting from his older brother who was happily alive in the future. He mentally sighed in frustration and shut the app.

_This is so much harder than I thought_.

He always assumed his eyes were the only thing he would be leaving for Sasuke.

Upon the vibration in his pocket, he slipped out his new phone. 'Miz eu,' it said. He stared blankly at the screen for a few seconds, trying to decode her message. Maybe he still was not adjusting as smoothly as he thought.

"Hey, you've finally got yourself a phone; and a limited model for the matter- what's wrong? You looked troubled," Konan commented as she slotted into her seat. Itachi considered his next action; it was either to make a fool of himself in front of Konan, or to appear like a dull-witted, outdated old man in front of Sakura. It was not much of a choice, unfortunately.

Reluctantly, he showed Konan his phone, careful to evade his eyes from her questioning ones.

"Do you have any idea what this means?" Konan squirted at the tiny screen then eyed Itachi, who still refused to look in her eye.

"Is this from the owner of the pink cover?" Why was she smirking at him? Grudgingly, he nodded. Unable to control herself, she giggled softly behind her palm. And she thought Nagato was clueless; the girl must be having a hard time, she thought.

"It means she's thinking of you; aren't you a lucky guy, Itachi-san," Konan teased affably while Itachi's eyes widened in understanding and ducked his head away. He wondered if the library has a book of modern slangs made especially for people like him.

She left him to his weltering thoughts and delivered a similar text to Nagato for the fun of it. He replied in less than a minute.

_Is smth wrong, Konan_?

She stifled another raising giggle – guys would never take such messages at face value.

* * *

With the training cancelled, Itachi was free for the rest of the afternoon. Sakura would be reporting to the hospital and he figured he could try his luck at the public library for the handy dictionary that could translate funny words into sense.

His phone vibrated once again and there was a text from Konan, telling him Minato had convened an emergency meeting at his office.

As he rounded back by the corner where he came from, his body collided with Sasuke, smacking the phone out of his hand. Sasuke was in a rush and in his distraction his head clashed hard onto Itachi's chin and landed on his rear in an undignified heap.

Nursing his bruised chin (he had no idea Sasuke's head was this _hard_), he extended a hand to help the poor dude up.

"What's the rush, Sasuke?" Itachi quipped as Sasuke brushed off the dust on his butt.

"I-Itachi?! O-Oh I was just on the way home… Hey I think you drop something," He bent to retrieve his phone, taking in the Uchiha fan symbol casing with a sceptical eye.

"Do you want to join the police that badly?" He asked incredulously as he handed back his phone. Itachi glanced down at the casing and shook his head, smiling at his assumptions. It must appear weird that someone would be wearing other family's symbol on their phone (even though strictly speaking Itachi was his ancestor).

"It bears similarities to my clan's symbol; makes me feel closer to them. Petty nostalgia you could say," Itachi shrugged and waved him off, curious to meet Minato.

"H-Hey! Wait!" He stopped and waited for him to catch up, eyebrows raised in anticipation. Sasuke wielded out his phone, outstretched in front of him expectantly.

"What's this for?"

"I-In case Kakashi-sensei calls for last minute training, I'll be able to contact you." His raised an eyebrow in amusement, but instead of taking over his phone, he gently pushed it back. Sasuke's flicker of rejected look tugged at the hidden smirk behind his amused face.

"Why not I tell you while you key the numbers in? I believe it'll be faster that way." Sasuke's face lit up in realisation that he would still be getting his number and Itachi mentally released his panicked breath. After they had saved one another's contacts, they went on their separate ways.

Itachi joined the Akatsuki members who had formed a semi-circle around Minato's desk, which was even disorganised than usual. An intangible gloom cloaked the room, and even the usual gaiety Deidara was displaying some degree of reticence.

Hidan was the last to arrive. He was busy combing his hair and preening in his compact mirror until he sensed the deadly silence in the room and peeled away from his vanity. The sense of foreboding that instantly tackled him made him swallowed in trepidation, and he gingerly shut the door and found his spot next to a frowning Kakuzu.

"Thank you all for coming so quickly. I understand it's after school but I'm afraid this can't wait. Our Chairman, Hiruzen's grandson, Sarutobi Konohamaru is missing. Under normal circumstances, it would have been reported to the missing person's police department, but the timing of his disappearance is too much of a coincidence as the recent missing children's cases. I believe we have to expect the worst," He informed sombrely as the members exchanged nervous glances.

"How long has he been missing?" Pein asked in the centre of the group.

"He was last seen the previous night, when he reportedly went out at around nine-thirty to get supper take-away at the snack's district. So far we're the only ones who know about this, and I hope to keep it this way for now." Everyone nodded and he began the dissemination of tasks.

Kisame and Itachi were in-charge of scouting his usual hangout and possible places an eight year old elementary kid might visit. Minato handed each of them a photo of Konohamaru and they decided to split up for maximum efficiency.

As he flew through the gate of the university, he recalled the night that kid banged into him after a long day of snack shop-hopping with Sasuke. He hoped that was not the last he would be seeing of the energetic boy.

* * *

For once, Sakura could not wait to wiggle out of her little nurse outfit and to leave the sterile confines of Konoha Hospital. The moment she admitted to her feelings, it made her vision clearer. She could not wait to spend more quality time with Itachi, even if it meant simply lying beside one another on separate beds and not talking.

To be staying under the same roof as him was inexorable; to be in love with him was of her free will, and not completely unexpected.

She confessed that her initial adoration was from his uncanny resemblance to Kanae Itachi, but the similarities stopped there. Uchiha Itachi, was a man of his own and absolutely lovable from every inch.

As she stepped out through the entrance, she caught sight of a familiar head of spiky hair.

"Sasuke-kun!" He stopped and turned towards her approaching form, hit by déjà vu from the concert night. Like the previous time, he had wanted to escape from the solitude and the silence that accompanied it, with his parents and brother aboard and he the sole keeper of the large mansion.

"Sakura, ka?" _It seemed like she remembered to change out of her costume this time_.

"Where are you going?" It had been a while since she saw him out of school uniform, and in his high collared blue tee shirt and bermudas, he appeared even more youthful and innocuous. He hastily looked around for an excuse.

"I-I'm just going for a walk…" Without waiting for his invitation, Sakura joined in his stroll and they caught up with each other's life along the almost empty pathway.

Along the way to Sakura's apartment, they entered a street nearly enshrouded in darkness, with most the lamps broken down. She was glad there was Sasuke to send her home, even if it was obligatory.

"Do you always get off work this late?"

"Tonight is an exception really; I usually get off way later," She replied meekly. Sasuke eyed her incredulously.

"Alone?"

"W-Well…"

"Let's end your little date here, shall we?" A man roughly grabbed Sasuke by the neck and kneed him behind his knee. Sasuke tried to stand up but was suppressed with a firm leg on his back. The man then flourished a cloth and smothered his nose and mouth, and within seconds he passed out. Sakura watched on with paralyzed fear, her numbed mind unable to put sense to this masked man's agenda.

She inched away from the masked man but her retreating steps were stopped when her back met against something warm and solid.

She could not find the energy to retaliate and grabbed futilely onto the strong arm of another man cupping her mouth with a chloroformed cloth. Before her consciousness seeped out of her, she thought she heard the man's whisper.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."

* * *

Until now, he had no idea of the number of playgrounds the Leaf had taken the liberty to construct; there were _everywhere_. With the removal of the training grounds, the barren lands were mostly converted to recreational spaces for the civilians.

By the fifteenth playground, he felt like a paedophile who eyed raucous kids as a pastime in the shadows. When one of the boys tried to deviate from the watchful eye of his parents, Itachi caught his attention by the overhead branch and 'advised' him to return to the playground. The scrawny boy nodded obediently and scampered back into the light.

There was no doubt about it; Itachi would make a fine babysitter.

With the last possible area scouted, he made a U-turn back to the Haruna Residence feeling like he was the one with the lost child. He checked in with Kisame and he was met with similar results.

"It's alright, thanks for the work, Itachi. You can go back and rest. We'll keep in touch if there are further updates," Minato replied and they ended their brief phone call.

Itachi's brow furrowed in concern when he noticed Sakura's pair of loafers was missing from its usual spot by the door steps. He set his school bag down and was about to make his way to the hospital to pick her up when his phone rang. Why was Sasuke calling at this time of the night?

"Well, if this isn't Itachi-san, welcome back to Konoha," The sickening and familiar voice of Yakushi Kabuto boomed through the earpiece, and he checked the phone screen to be sure it was Sasuke's line.

"Don't worry, your dear brother and his woman is with me. If you want them back in one piece, you will jolly well agree to Orochimaru-sama's contract and have it delivered to the address that I'm going to text you. Then, you'll find the brats waiting for you at the location."

"What woman?" Itachi asked instead. There was a pause on the other end, like he was momentarily thrown off by his question.

"Funny you're worried about that girl more than your brother. If you really want to know, her name is Haruno Sakura." He could detect muffled noises in the background.

"How do I know you're not lying?" After a few seconds, Sasuke's hollow voice burst through the speaker.

"Don't worry; we're fine! Don't agree to the contract no matter what- ARGHHH!"

"You may want to hurry up; there's no telling what we'll do when our patient's up. You have until midnight. Oh, and do come alone, we do not appreciate having to deal with more corpses, Itachi-san." Kabuto's vile chortle reverberated into his ear, and Itachi stared at the dead line. He quickly redialled Sasuke's number but it went straight to voice mail.

He had no clue of the crap Kabuto just babbled to him, except that Sasuke and Sakura could be in danger and that there was something different in Kabuto's voice than the last time he had heard through the phone.

His phone beeped and there was a text from an unknown number containing an address with a message: _50-50 revenue or 100% loss, your choice_.

He recalled the address from one of the Akatsuki's scouting missions and he immediately eliminated that as the place of captive. There was no way he would corral them at a known abandoned warehouse by the police, let alone simply giving away the location of the hostage. He needed to assume someone like him would never keep to his end of the bargain, and even after he handed over that unknown contract they might not be released alive.

He might have a clue of their actual location, and right now his best bet was to follow his years of ninja hunch. Just then he received another incoming call, this time Kisame's name surfaced on his screen.

"Itachi-san, one of the witnesses Sasori interviewed just confirmed that Konohamaru was seen talking to a bespectacled male-"

"Kisame, my brother's been kidnapped."

"What?" Itachi shook his head to clear his jumbled thoughts.

"Or rather, the idol's brother, Kanae Sasuke is being held hostage, along with his classmate. They apparently mistook me for Kanae Itachi and are demanding for a contract as the terms for exchange…"

"What? So they are asking for a contract which you don't have? Then what are you going to do now? Do you know who did it?"

"I have an idea, but it's more of a wager. I'm going to search for them now. Talk to you later, Kisame." He lifted around for some waste papers and stuffed them into a brown envelope before securing it with a hypnotising genjutsu seal as a sign of courtesy.

What he could not figure out now was why in the world was Sakura involved in this incident?

_There must have been together and Sakura was a witness that they had to get rid of_. Somehow with her in the equation, the steaks were unknowingly higher and he was even more adamant that he was going to get her out alive. He felt responsible for her safety. Why, he was uncertain.

He only knew that the thought of not seeing that sweet smile or hearing that voice of hers again was strangely depressing. What was more; he did make a promise to Sasori.

"_I won't let anyone hurt her, even if it means killing them._"

He checked the time – he had an hour and a half to locate and rescue them. He took an inventory on his remaining weapons –two freshly sharpened kunais and ten shurikens were all that was left from those weeks ago. It was hardly enough to perform his fancy jutsus and he would have to use them sparingly.

Summoning a shadow clone, he handed him the envelope with the dummy contract and together, they each advanced in the opposite direction.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?" Sakura whispered after Kabuto left them alone in the putrid cell. The entire room was dimly lit by the high window at the back wall, and Sakura speculated they were held in an underground prison.

"Y-Yea… That was nothing," He forced out between laboured breaths, having been exposed to the taser and was fighting for control of his contracted muscles. They were each tethered to a wooden chair, with arms tied behind the backrest and ankles strapped by the legs. The only positive aspect to their predicament was that they could still talk.

"Wh… What's this about? Why did they kidnap us?" Sakura glanced nervously around and hazily eyed the row of metal bars to her left, where a guard stood.

"It must be related to my brother's producing company. I heard from him that they recently they ran into some bad debts and the industry are not making things easy for them. Other companies took this chance to bribe the venue management agencies to increase their rents in hopes to destruct his world tour," Sasuke explained. Sakura knew of the shady side of entertainment world, but hearing and having it actually happening to her favourite idol was another thing by itself.

"So the contract…?" Sasuke nodded and turned away.

"They must have offered to clear the company's debts in exchange for a large portion of my brother's revenues, which is to say absurd. There's no way I want him to do that just to save us."

"But why target your brother? Surely there is more lucrative source of revenue out there…" Sasuke gave a helpless shrug.

"They must be pressed for money and he happens to be the quick solution they are looking for. The devil would resort to anything to get his hands on anything beneficial."

Something was still not adding up – how could they order Itachi to deliver the contract by tonight…

"B-But, isn't Kanae Itachi out of town…?" Sasuke smirked in response.

"I was just playing along; that bastard had no idea who he just called." At her confused look, Sasuke's smirk grew and he continued, "It has been a habit of mine to not save my family's contacts." Sakura's eyes widened in understanding and she thought, _no way, he knew his number_?!

"Then the person who he just spoke to…"

"…Only one of the most deadly man who can take on these losers and get us to safety."

* * *

Shrouded by the thick foliage, Itachi crouched on a broad branch, mindful to maintain at least a fifty metre distance from the stupendous white mansion.

He pinpointed three patrol guards by the entrance, but they appeared to be a complacent bunch, their footsteps slothful and unfocused. He had already taken down a pair on scouting duty on the way to the mansion, and they were predictably unpolished and far too cowardly for their assigned roles.

After observing their movements and surroundings, he was about to begin his infiltration when he remembered this was the modern era, and squirted harder at the building façade. He managed to locate at least four rotating cameras along the edges of the buildings.

Itachi closed his eyes, focused his chakra and hopped down from the tree. In one smooth motion, he launched four shurikens towards each camera, and the guards snapped to attention at the firework of breaking glasses above them.

By then it was all too late; he dodged behind each of the three men and landed a solid karate chop on their backs, instantly knocking them out. It almost felt too easy.

Taking a few steps back, he gained momentum and aimed a hefty kick at the door, striking it down in one movement. Within the expansive dark interior, the first level was mainly empty except for a dusty sitting area in the centre of the carpeted space, framed by two more levels of corridors with multiple rooms.

He found a working lift at the east of the room, while disabling two hidden cameras along the way. When he entered it, he noted the three basement floors on the panel. Without thinking further, he hit the 'B2' button.

* * *

The pungent smell of chemicals threw Sakura into a vomiting sensation for the fifth time, and her muscles felt sore from being in the same stiff position for the past two hours. She could feel something wet on her palms; it must be from the blood from her wrists from the abrasion against the thick ropes.

"Sakura, sorry to drag you into this," Sasuke's toppled form said suddenly next to her. She was not the only one who had been trying to escape. She shook her head and glanced down at his body.

"Two is better than one right? At least you're not alone in this." She prayed she felt as optimistic as she appeared; the truth was with each passing minute, she thought the chances of them seeing another living day was getting from slim to none.

"But how do you think Itachi could even find us? The place that that man messaged was most likely a hoax; if anything it'll only lead him further away from here." Sakura hated that she doubted him, but Itachi hardly knew his way around, let alone knew the whereabouts of an underground prison!

"He'll find us," Sasuke asserted, the certainty brimming in his depthless eyes.

"You're right, he definitely will; he's a ninja," Sakura shooed off the pessimist and nodded self-encouragingly. Sasuke frowned at her words.

"You know that too? Are you two that close?" She wanted to say yes, not only were they well-acquainted, but were living under the same roof. And that she was in love with him.

"W-We're okay I guess," She replied with a titter.

"Huh." Somewhere beyond the thick stone walls, there was a deep rumbling sound, and the guards posted outside the cells swept towards the source all at once. Everything was silent for a moment, and before they knew what happened, Uchiha Itachi materialised in front of their prison.

"Itachi!" The imprisoned duo shouted at once, and using the butt of a rifle, Itachi forced it down against the metal lock pad and broke it open.

"Are you two alright?" He brandished his kunai and freed both of their arms and legs in a series of swift slash. As Sakura helped Sasuke up, she noticed Itachi's eyes lingered on the torn skin of her wrists.

"Nothing that an ointment and bandages can't solve," She remarked with a soft smile. Their eyes met, and Itachi nodded before he chivvied them of the forsaken room.

Towards the end of the corridor, lay a pile of defeated guards but the absence of blood indicated that they were probably just unconscious. Sakura stared at Itachi in amazement.

"Wow, did you do this?" It was then that she noticed there were no visible scratches on him or his clothes. Sasuke was equally impressed by the human pyramid.

"Now is not the time to be admiring the fallen guards. Come this way, Sasuke, Sakura."

"Sakura?" Sasuke had no idea they were on first name terms. Itachi glanced back and caught Sakura's grinning eyes, as though in glee of the little secret relationship they shared.

"Sakura helped me a lot when I first moved in." They dutifully followed behind Itachi towards a narrower passageway, which led them to a spiral stone staircase.

They found themselves in a poorly lit arena, with interlocking concrete pavers and metal imprisoning bars lining the base of the four walls and an exit at the opposite end from the staircase.

"This is as far as you go." All eyes landed on Kabuto's descending form, who was taking one step at a time down the opposite stairs before he came into full view in front of the trio. Itachi instinctively raised an arm in front of Sasuke and Sakura.

"Stay back, I'll take care of this-"

"Why are you doing this Kabuto? Why are you helping this person? He could be just using you!" Sakura bawled behind Itachi's restraining arm.

"You know nothing, woman. I live for my master, and my life is his to end whenever he deems fit. So why don't you be a good prisoner and go back to your cell?"

"Step aside, I do not wish to kill you," Itachi's unnaturally calm voice interrupted their not so successful conversation, and Kabuto's attention shifted onto him.

"I'm surprised; how did you find out about this place?" He leered at the group ahead and sniggered.

"Did you think you could barge in all by yourself and get out of here alive? You've seriously underestimated us big time. Soldiers, get them!" At his command, hidden panels across the arena were flung opened. Itachi frowned at the 'soldiers' climbing up the ladders from the exposed panels.

"Y-You can't be serious, why are they all _children_?" Sakura could not have conveyed the two men's thoughts any better; ranging from as young as four to twelve, an assemblage of over thirty kids were staring blankly at them, armed with various lethal weapons.

"To resort to child soldiers, you guys are sick," Itachi spat out, and against his better judgments, kept his kunai into the hidden pouch behind him. Judging by their vacant expressions, they were obviously under the influence of drugs.

Perhaps the most unsettling factor of all was sensing their chakra. Some were stronger than the rest, but they were generally faint and probably would have been stronger if not for their drugged states. Itachi cocked his head towards Sasuke.

"Look after Sakura, would you?" He was off charging towards the children before Sasuke could register his words. As he stared at Itachi skilfully dodging assaults while careful to not severely injure them, and knocking them unconscious, he clenched his fists in indignation.

"Sakura, will you be okay alone?" Sakura wanted to say no, but the determined spark in his eyes, the burning need to free the kids from their Tartarus was hardly something she could defy.

"Go on," She whispered and tried to appear brave for his sake. Sasuke nodded and sprinted towards Itachi's side, quickly helping him take down three kids on his way.

"Sasuke…?" His eyes momentarily left the kids and flew towards Sakura, who was hugging herself by the stairs. Even without his Sharingan, he could easily read the tugs and pulls of those soft lips, the same lips that helped to mend his broken soul and warmed his frozen heart, which were telling him to 'be careful.'

A veil lifted behind his eyes and he nodded.

"I'll look after your back; let's quickly get this done and over with," Sasuke grumbled and thanks to all their collaborate training, they were able to take the unwary children down in no time. Sakura released the death grip on her upper arms and released an audible breath of relief. Kabuto merely shook his head in disapproval at the fallen heap around him.

"Keh, a bunch of failures. Looks like I'll need to increase the intensity of their trainings." He mused and flicked his finger. This time, a horde of masked men came rushing down the steps, and within movements they had Itachi and Sasuke surrounded. The two guys backed up against one another, scanning their enemies' bulky body suits and assortment of weapons reflecting their determination.

"Ready for round two?" Itachi took Sasuke's snicker as a yes, and he slipped out his other kunai. Sasuke frowned at the choice of weapon but kept mum and took it from him. In a flash they bolted towards the enemies. With the body suits it meant that their speed and movement were hampered, but it also resulted in higher defence, meaning the previous blows that worked for the children would be ineffective against this group.

They were also considerably proficient with their weapons, as marked by the scratches that littered the duo's arms and legs.

"Sasuke watch out!" At Itachi's warning, he avoided a fatal stab by his blind spot and kneed the man in the gut, hard. His relief was evanescent; Itachi was soon circled by six men eyeing him like sharks. They charged forth simultaneously with their swords outstretched, to which Itachi retaliated with a smirk. Before they knew what was happening, their swords went slicing through the opposite attacker's chest and they collapsed into one another, their spilt blood merging into one warm puddle by Itachi's feet.

"I-ITACHI!" Itachi and Sasuke's head snapped towards a cornered Sakura, with a sword lying precariously by her throat. Sasuke heard Itachi cursed under his breath and the next moment the man who had raised the sword against her neck was lying on the floor. The man clawed at the blood oozing out of the deep cut across his throat, and his throes soon ceased into a motionless heap.

Itachi stood in front of Sakura, eyes narrowed in concern at the cut on her neck and he cupped a hand on her cheek.

"Sorry, it'll be over soon." Just like that, the tender glint in his eyes was instantly clouded by a shutter of pure coldness and she watched as he fought to suppress his raging Sharingan.

He picked up the discarded sword that nearly robbed Sakura's life and began an onslaught on anyone in his way.

In an attempt to protect Sasuke, whose left arm was spotting a deep gash, Itachi took an attack meant for Sasuke and was kicked against the metal bars lining the arena. He clutched his bleeding right arm and slashed the man through the centre.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Itachi flinched and turned around to the source of the childish voice.

"Konohamaru?"

"How do you know my name? More importantly, look out!" Itachi spun to his left and avoided another slash by yet another enemy, before sending him to hell.

He gripped the handy sword in both hands and in a swift motion the lock was cut into half.

"Hey I recognise you! You bumped into me the other night!" Itachi smiled and picked Konohamaru with one arm and sprinted to the opposite side of the arena. He deposited him next to Sakura before re-entering the fight. Sakura crouched down and petted his slightly spiky charcoal hair.

"You must be one of the captured kids. Don't worry; the onni-sans over there will get us out in no time. What is your name?"

"S-Sarutobi Konohamaru, and I'm going to grow up and be as cool as that onni-san over there!" He exclaimed and pointed at Itachi's dancing movements.

"Sarutobi?" _Doesn't that make him Hiruzen's grandson_?!

If Sakura thought her eyes could not grow any wider, she was dead wrong on that. She felt the world slowed around her as a man emerged next to Kabuto.

Another Kabuto had materialised next to the suddenly stiff Kabuto.

Detecting another chakra signature, Itachi lowered his blade and turned towards the dead ringer next to Kabuto. His discerning eyes narrowed dangerously at the replica flowing with chakra, his right arm holding what Minato referred to as a 'rifle.'

_Something is different about this 'clone' next to the original Kabuto_…

Sakura instructed Konohamaru to hide by the stairs. She quickly ran up and stood close behind Itachi, his arm shielding her protectively from their toxic gaze.

"I-Is that a shadow clone? So Kabuto can use chakra?" Sakura breathed frightfully, and Kabuto's ears caught her words. So she knew about chakra huh, he thought.

"No and yes Sakura, that is his actual body, and I do sense chakra from him," He replied, nodding to the new Kabuto. He smirked and mockingly clapped his hands.

"Itachi-san's right. I'm the real deal."

"Then who's that next to you? Is that a clone, Itachi?" Sakura searched his eyes for confirmation, but they were fixed hard on the two Kabutos.

"This man next to me is pure flesh and blood; he's a living person," Kabuto answered for her.

"What? Then how…?"

"Plastic surgery…" Sasuke muttered suddenly next to Itachi. At his quizzical gaze, Sakura spoke up.

"It is a surgical procedure that permanently alters the physical appearance of a person, though seldom do you see anyone who did an entire face to resemble somebody…"

"Because it would have cost too much money and pain to pull off something like this," Sasuke finished for her. Kabuto guffawed at their expressions.

"Don't look so surprised; we talked on the phone a long time ago and I've seen your photo. There's no way I would forget someone as beguiling as you, Uchiha-san." If looks could kill, Itachi would have stabbed him at least ten times by now.

"So who was I talking to all along?" Sakura breathed out while Kabuto contemplated her profound question.

"Hmm, let's see. When you approached me to create an identity for Mr ninja," He gestured mockingly to Itachi and continued, "When you asked to take over your entire shift... And I think that's about it."

"What? Geez no wonder you- your counterpart didn't recognise Itachi when we saw each other this morning..." At her point, everyone's attention returned to the walking lie next to Kabuto.

"M-Master… What are you doing here?" The fear and admiration leaking out of his kneeing form in undignified proportions was disturbing to watch. The real Kabuto ignored his question and kicked him to the other side of the room. Without warning he fired two resounding shots at the fake Kabuto.

Sakura's hands flew to her mouth in shock, while Sasuke and Itachi watched on with hardened gaze.

"Now, what's the use of having you around when you couldn't even differentiate one man from another? Am I right, _Uchiha_ Itachi-san?" Kabuto asked rhetorically and aimed his rifle suggestively in his direction. Itachi quickly pushed Sakura behind him, and she dared a glance at Kabuto, her hands gripping his sleeves in apprehension.

"You may be a ninja, you may be able to use chakra, but can a ninja use chakra to dodge bullets that travels three hundred and seventy metres per second?" Kabuto wondered aloud, smiling the way he did when they chatted in the hospital.

"Let's test that out shall we?"

"Crouch down," Itachi ordered in a low voice and vanished, using his body flicker to narrowly dodge his almost precise aims.

When their eyes met across the room, Itachi saw the challenging smirk on Kabuto's face and his eyes widened in horror. He only managed to pick up Sakura a millisecond before the bullet flew through her.

"I-Itachi!"

"Guess I'll take this chance to help Orochimaru-sama finish off what he set out to do five years ago!" Kabuto made another aim for Sakura, and in that moment there was an earth-shaking explosion above them.

At the second explosion, the ceiling ahead gave way but instead of pieces of earth crashing down, the split ceiling peeled apart and curled into a roll like two sheets of paper.

Kisame was the first to jump through the opening, his hands blurred together in a fury of hand signs.

"Water style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!" The attack deflected the rifle from Kabuto's grasp, and soon they were engaged in an intense hand to hand combat.

The rest of the Akatsuki members landed around him one after another, and Deidara and Kakuzu were already busying themselves with fending off the new batch of back-up soldiers. Hidan was particularly thrilled to be involved in this men slaughtering business as he flourished his scythe and began slicing men in halves.

Pein landed next to Itachi and was already on the phone with Minato.

"Yes, we've located Itachi and the hideout; we'll be proceeding with the rescue mission right now." Pein signalled to the remaining members to fend out and to gather the kidnapped children.

"Kisame informed us of your predicament and we've tracked your phone's GPS to determine your location. It also happens that we have a witness that saw a suspicious van barrelling down the lane towards the forest where this mansion stands," Konan informed helpfully to Itachi.

"W-Wow, are those real studs?" Everyone's head flicked towards Konohamaru who seemed to pop up from nowhere. Pein and Konan smiled at one another, visibly relieved.

"I see you've found Hiruzen's grandson too, good job, Itachi," Pein remarked with an approving nod.

"Danna, move back, I'm going to blow these metal bars into pieces, hmm!"

"Don't be reckless! Those are kids behind the bars, not your clay sculptures!" Sasori's chastise was drowned out by another chain of explosions.

"Go on, take Sakura out of here; I'll look after Konohamaru and we'll take over from here," Konan offered and began summoning a pair of paper wings on her back.

"W-WOW, onee-chan has wings!" Konan bent to ruffle his hair affectionately.

Itachi's eyes met with Sasuke's, and he shrugged and picked up Itachi's 'borrowed' sword.

"I'll stay here and help your friends. It'll make for good training anyway." Even though Itachi had more questions, he grudgingly nodded. With secured Sakura in his arms, he gathered chakra on his feet and sprang out of the dusty basement through the gaping hole, not once looking back.

For once, he allowed himself to rely on others, to trust his friends.

It felt surprisingly comforting.

* * *

**How many times does telling yourself 'I won't pull a last minute act for my next submission' before it actually sinks in? 3 years is definitely not enough.**


	18. Never Alone (Because You're Here)

**Chapter17 Recall:**

We got to see Itachi attempted to write to Sasuke in a tablet, an all-out search for an important missing child, Sasuke and Sakura's unfortunate encounter and tons of discoveries at the kidnapper's base.

* * *

**Chapter18 – Never Alone (Because You're Here)**

"It's okay, I can manage," Sakura assured before he put her down to open the door to their apartment. It was hard to imagine that just a while ago she was all tied up in some basement of suspicious origin. The violence and bloodshed would remain a distasteful nightmare; it was all over.

As she flicked on the lights, she examined the degree of damage to her body – a few cuts and some first degree burns from abrasion. Nothing too deep that would be life-threatening but she would need to disinfect the slits soon, especially the one across her neck that was beginning to throb.

She turned to check on Itachi and found him leaning heavily against the living room's wall, clutching his right arm. Under the artificial light, she saw that the entire sleeve of his school shirt was dyed red and the wall was stained with his fresh blood.

"Oh my god Itachi you're seriously injured! We need to-" Itachi's hand shot up to grasp her wrist.

"Tend to your wounds first, I'll be fine." The hand that was gripping onto hers was cold and shaking slightly. He was either numbed from the pain or really skilled at hiding it. Sakura hoped it was the former. She gently pushed away his stopping arm and gestured agitatedly at his right arm.

"How does this look like it'll be fine? Wait here, I'll go get the first-aid kit," Sakura ordered and ran to the kitchen. He did not notice it before, but as the adrenaline of the night died down, the pulses of pain from his right arm seemed to amplify every second, and he felt his breathing turned shallower from each assaults.

He tried to move his arm and had to pinch his eyes shut for an agonising moment to subdue the burning sensation.

"Here, let us go to the sofa before I inspect your wound." When she tried to move him, he once again put forth resistance.

"Just do it here, I do not wish to dirty your furniture." His tone was insistent and despite his impassive expression, she noticed that he was experiencing shortness of breath, a definite symptom of anaemia. Swallowing back her fear and forcing some equanimity into her nerves, she grudgingly agreed and carefully lowered him into a sitting position against the wall.

She leaned against his chest and captured a rapid heartbeat, but to her relief he did not express any chest pains, yet.

"I'm going to remove your shirt to assess your wound, is that okay?" He peeled opened his eyes despite the effort, and nodded at last. With her slightly trembling hands, she quickly unbuttoned his top and pulled him out of the left sleeve, followed by the right. The excessive blood caused the broad cloth to stick to his arm, and she carefully peeled it off before tossing the ruined top aside.

There was a deep slash across his deltoid and below it where his triceps sat was a small hole where the bullet penetrated. She was taught that bullets were generally not removed, unless they were in critical locations or caused physical discomfort to the patient. The trauma from extracting a bullet would usually cause more harm than good.

"Itachi, you were shot in your outer head triceps. I'm going to apply an antiseptic before I dress the wound. It's going to-"

"Take it out." Sakura turned towards his face, gripped with uncertainty.

"Because of the extreme speed they travelled at, the bullet was sterilised when it was shot so it'll do more good to not touch it-"

"Sakura, just take it out," Itachi reiterated wearily. Sure, he did not even so much as flinched when she dabbed the antiseptic around the bloody hole, but that was only the surface of the wound. She nodded and ran to the kitchen to grab a rag and instructed him to bite into it.

"I have no anesthetiser with me so you'll have to bear with the pain, is that okay?" Sakura asked between concerned glances. Itachi merely nodded like it made no difference.

As she picked up the glistening haemostats and aimed at the hole, she searched his face for any hint of fear, just so she could back out. There was none.

"I-I'm not very adept at this, and it's going to hurt like hell." His resolve remained unshaken and he merely nodded. She focused back at the wound and before she could invent more excuses, she inserted the haemostats into the hole and dug for the bullet.

She felt the jerk of his clenched fist fighting against the affliction, and Sakura tried not to notice the pure look of misery plastered across his forcefully shut eyes, or how hard he was biting into the cloth.

The instance she felt the round metal between the tissues, she widened the clamps and secured the bullet, then in a swift motion she extracted the blood soaked bullet out of his arm. Itachi released an audible breath between the cloths when it was finally out. She dumped the bullet on a metal tray, dabbed off the dripping blood and began to apply a dry dressing around his arm.

It was only then she allowed herself a glimpse at his tortured face. His forehead was drenched in cold sweat, with his fringe sticking to his face. She removed the compressed cloth from his mouth and flipped the fringe lying on his eyes aside, and watched as the muscles around his eyes began to relax.

She was about to resume with the cleansing of his remaining wounds when his body fell towards her, his chin landing on her left shoulder in a dead heap. Her first coherent thought was that he fainted from the pain, but then she felt his heavy panting.

The assuring contraction and expansion of his chest against her indicated he was just exhausted.

"You were great, Itachi. Now let me just address the rest of your wounds then…" When he refused to move, she sighed and gave in to her own lassitude. She rested her head on his and caressed his drenched back.

Using her other free hand, she picked up a syringe of anti-biotic that she had prepared earlier and inserted it into his right arm. At least it would prevent an undesired infection and fever.

"T-Thank you, Sakura…" He breathed out with difficulty, and she turned her caress into a comforting hug.

"No. Thank _you_ for saving Sasuke and I. How did you even find us?" She whispered, nuzzling her head against his neck, grateful that they were able to make it out alive.

"I'm a ninja, it's my job," He replied enigmatically and she felt his left arm winding around her petite frame to return the embrace. She harrumphed at his half-ass answer; would there be a day where he would simply answer her directly?

"I'm glad you're safe; you really scared me back there." She gently pushed him back against the wall and quickly cleaned his remaining wounds.

As she attempted to relocate him to a more comfortable resting area, he grabbed her hand.

"S-Sakura, there's something I need to tell you," He said behind closed lids and quietly she sat down next to him. After he was able to breathe normally, he opened his eyes and angled his head towards her.

"Before I discovered the truth, I felt like a lost sheep that have wondered astray and ended in a foreign land. Everything around me was alien and familiar at the same time, it was unnerving." She waited patiently as he caught his breath.

"After I found out the truth, I realised there's a reason for this existence, that I still have a purpose in life after all. Yes, I'll be returning to my world soon, Sakura," He confirmed with an undertone of regret to Sakura's dismal. She knew it would happen eventually, but hearing it aloud made it a fact and she was unwilling to think it was so _soon_. Willing her heart to start beating, she ignored the painful thumping screaming for him to stay and nudged him on.

"But it was until tonight that I recognised I was only partially right," He placed his palm on top of hers resting on her lap and continued, "It was you, Sakura, who really gave me a purpose in life here, who has guided me out of the dark, stood by me and made me believe…In second chances." Sakura was overwhelmed with emotions; no one had ever told her she was the purpose in their life, and this coming from the last person she would expect to hear that from…

"Oh, Itachi, are you sure you're alright…?" She knew she was ruining the moment, but instead of answering, Itachi smiled.

All along he tried to deny affections towards her, thinking he was unworthy of her endearment and could never reciprocate the way that was expected of him. He was a murderer, dead on the inside and supposedly dead. There was no room for such petty emotions.

He thought he could rid of this absurd sentiment by keep their relationship platonic.

Whenever she was upset, he would take it upon himself to lift her up as a way to repay her benevolence. Yes, he was still feeling guilty over coercing her to giving him a shelter over his head.

When she reacted to the news of his possible deceased status with more devastation than a normal stranger would have demonstrated, he kissed her. At that point, he never thought much of that kiss; he saw how it was used as an effective tool to console the opposite gender, and tried it out.

There was nothing platonic about that kiss.

He never expected himself to cave in by succumbing to his male instincts; after that first kiss, whenever they were in propinquity, the desire to feel her lips on him grew in uncontrollable proportions.

He never meant to fall for her; it was simply unthinkable. He never expected the attraction to be mutual; it was simply impossible.

However, after her unexpected confession and a bitter taste of nearly losing her, nothing seemed too unthinkable or impossible. Itachi finally understood; all along it was about the courage face your heart.

The thing was, did he have the courage to awake one of the strongest emotions that made the Uchiha clan so strong, that one sentiment that had repeatedly caused him immeasurable pain beyond healing?

"… And I'll be protecting you with my life till the day I'm gone, Sakura." He did not know whether he was capable of governing such overwhelming emotions and the countless wild thoughts over the cherry blossom next to him. Until he could truthfully face himself in the eye, he would confine these feelings to himself.

Sakura's heart was doing a hundred metre dash – was that his way of telling her that she meant something to him? That he might possibly be in _love_ with her? God, if that was so why could he not just be straight to the point instead of throwing her into a state of disarray?

He smirked at her shell-shocked expression; an open-book as usual. He began to help himself to a serving of cherry blossom kiss.

He stopped just before his lips met hers and locked his eyes into hers.

"Can I…?" Sakura gulped at their proximity, her suddenly empty mind was still processing his earlier words. She liked him so much but he made her so confused; his inscrutable eyes were pinning her in place and she wondered if she could let herself hope.

"D-Do you mean it?" She managed out at last. Itachi's eyes were sparkling with amusement.

"Why not I show you and you tell me." With that he closed the millimetre of distance between them and kissed her fondly. The strength and passion behind his kiss made her questioned whether his earlier lethargy was her made-believe. Whatever he was doing with his lips, it was making her senseless. She did not mind that, being senseless. He pushed her against the wall and deepened his kiss.

Her hands were busy roaming his sturdy chest, dragging down along his abdominals and lingering just above his waistband of his pants. Without thinking, she slipped her hands inside and felt herself gasped in embarrassment at the bulge.

"What's wrong?" Itachi whispered huskily, his mouth still on hers.

"N-Nothing!" She shivered in titillation when his mouth left hers to kiss his way down along her neck, and stopped to suck provocatively at a sensitive spot by her collarbone. Her midriff felt chilly, and that was when she realised her blouse was already unbuttoned. Suddenly, she felt hyper-conscious of herself. She removed her hand from his arousal, albeit reluctantly.

"I-Itachi…" Itachi stopped his teasing and stared into her innocent eyes, hoping to explore further but solicitous about pushing her beyond her comfort zone.

"Do you need any more confirmation?" He asked with a dangerously low voice, his hand roving and pulling her slim waist contiguous to him. She felt his fingers fiddled with her bra hook, and she emitted a soft whimper when the first hook was off. Sakura knew he must have felt her rapid heartbeat, and if his hand would not stop leaving hot trails wherever it caressed…

"I-I think you've made your point…" His hand stopped and he laughed at her evident discomfort; she smacked his arm. God, she loved his laughter. She wanted him to keep doing that.

"Nurse, that hurts." Sakura nearly snorted at his pout, but she did hit his injured right arm, and apologetically she bent to kiss it.

"I'll be by your side till it's all healed."

"I like that plan, Sakura." Sakura leaned in to land a quick perk on his lips.

"Thank you, Itachi."

"For what?" She crushed him with a hug to hide the tears that were tumbling out without warning and snaking along her cheeks.

_For allowing me to love you_.

* * *

"Yesterday's operation was a success; you were able to rescue all the kidnapped children with zero casualties, thankfully. They are currently recuperating at Konoha Hospital. Unsurprisingly, most of them are orphans," Minato began behind his desk. The Akatsuki was summoned to the office right after homeroom, and Itachi was dying to know what happened after he left with Sakura.

"By the way, is Sakura alright?" When Itachi nodded he continued in a relatively relieved tone. "That's good to hear. I may need to summon her to ensure she keep whatever she has seen to herself-"

"Don't worry, that was taken care of. She won't breathe a word." Out of respect, Minato omitted from enquiring further about the matter, deciding to trust Itachi instead.

"Unfortunately, Kabuto and his master Orochimaru fled before they could be apprehended, leaving behind the dead ringer, who was dead by the way," Pein added with a trace of regret. Minato had contacted the police force and they had sealed off the mansion and the other warehouse, which nested two other kidnapped children and a time bomb. Luckily his clone found and brought them away before it detonated. It had not bothered with the hypnotised guard.

"After the soldiers were cleared, Sasori and I went to scout the building and we found some of the stolen scrolls from the library's archive, along with a laboratory at the deepest basement," Konan supplied beside Pein. Minato seemed to consider her revelation.

"He must have stumbled upon them during his teaching days in Kizuna…" All eyes turned to Minato.

"Yes, Orochimaru used to be one of us, that was ten years ago. I suspect that after he knew about chakra, he must have found out that it is also easier to cultivate chakra at a toddler's age, and began kidnapping orphans to use as experiments," He explained calmly, scanning everyone's eyes meaningfully.

"Now I see why we were chosen to be in APEX," Sasori remarked, and many of them nodded. Itachi noted that of the members he interacted with, they were all orphans_, chakra-abled_ orphans. This was definitely not a coincidence. The senior committee must have planned this all along.

"Not only are we protecting you guys from the scheming hands of Orochimaru, we're also hoping that you can use your gifts for a good cause. That way we'll be doing justice to Mother Nature, at least that's what I think," Minato concluded and smiled sheepishly.

"Damn, Minato-sensei you make us sound so cool, like we were given a life mission to bring peace or something, hmm," Deidara chipped in.

"Well in a way, you are. No one's too insignificant to think they can't make a change. It's only a matter of the courage to take the first step."

* * *

Sasori waited until everyone has left to intercept Itachi before he could slip off the corridor.

"How's Sakura?" Itachi raised his brows. For a disinterested guy, Sasori sure was very concerned about Sakura. Not that he was jealous or anything.

"She's fine; she's in school if you want to find her," Itachi responded as he leaned against the opposite wall. Sasori noticed the slight flinch as he did that.

"What about you?"

"I'll live another day. Is that all you want to ask?" Before Itachi could leave, Sasori reached into his bag and extracted a stack of document and handed it to him. His eye widened at the familiar thumbnail printed on the cover.

"I found this when we were barrelling through Orochimaru's hideout. I haven't shown it to anyone." Sasori stepped back and gauged his reaction. Itachi skimmed through the carefully preserved documents and felt a chill settled within him. The papers suddenly felt like lead, weighing down on his hand, squeezing at his heart. Whatever that was recorded, he was definitely not prepared for it.

After rifling through the documents, Sasori thought, it finally shed some light into that incident all those years ago, along with some disturbing delineation.

"Why did you give this to me…?" Instead of answering, he turned and continued down the corridor.

"I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you want to show this to her. I wish you two luck."

* * *

She should have listened to Itachi's advice and stayed at home. She should not have acted all tough; just because she hanged around a ninja did not make her one. The only consolation to this farce was that she was not alone.

"Does it hurt…?" A girl with brown bob hair from the opposite class approached and interviewed them. Sakura took the liberty to answer for the two of them when Sasuke appeared hell bent on ignoring all glances and questions. He was definitely a lot more suited to be a celeb than her.

"Iya iya, it's alright now-"

"Were you two involved in an automobile accident?" Another ponytailed girl, presumably Ms Bob's friend, cut in.

"Oh, no! It was nothing like that-"

"Whoa what happened to you two? Sex gone wrong?" A boy she recognised from the adjacent class as Suigetsu sneered. Sasuke had enough; he stormed towards Seigetsu and grabbed by his collar aggressively.

"What did you say?"

Alright, maybe not as suitable as she initially thought. Sakura apologised and hurriedly dragged Sasuke away before they became even more famous.

"Looks like the news of our kidnap is still under wraps," Sakura whispered while looking blankly ahead.

"And I intend for it to remain this way. At least everyone's safe now," Sasuke offered with a spark of guilt. She wondered what he meant by 'he intend.' Regardless, she smiled and assured him it was not his fault; she was starting to be used to him playing nice and it felt surprisingly pleasant.

The situation in their classroom was not any better; in fact it got even worse. Apparently when you were injured, you suddenly became everyone's best friend. Even Naruto was going out of his way to give Sasuke the princess treatment and swallowed back his usual snide remarks when Sasuke complained about him 'getting too close.'

Maybe being a celebrity was not such a bad thing after all.

* * *

Itachi received a text from Sasuke, wanting them to meet at the field where they practiced. He substituted with a clone and headed to find him and found their mentor waiting by the seating area. Sasuke explained that it was Kakashi who had called for this impromptu meeting.

"I've heard about what happened. Are you alright?" Itachi nodded, curious as to where this was headed.

"Don't look so shocked; we're in this together. FYI I'm also part of the senior committee of APEX," Kakashi revealed cheerfully with a careless shrug. It seemed like a habit of this era not to disseminate information all at once.

"Does this also mean you could use chakra too?" He asked with a tone of weariness.

"Yep; in fact all the senseis can. We just don't have that much chance to use it as you guys," Kakashi reflected gaily.

"Count me out; I'm just an innocent bystander," Sasuke added with both hands raised. Itachi turned sharply to assess him. Since yesterday, it had bothered him to no end of Sasuke's nonchalance. From his expression, you would have assumed they had gathered for an all-men's gossip session.

"Sasuke, aren't you shocked by what you saw?" He did a shrug that mirrored Kakashi's.

"It was more of an 'O' because I've never actually seen people use chakra in action." Itachi wondered if Sasuke knew he could use chakra all along - he even managed not to use any throughout the ordeal at Orochimaru's mansion.

"So you knew about chakra... Since when?" Kakashi cocked his head, intrigued by their exchange.

"You never told him, did you Sasuke?" Why did it always feel like he was left out of anything important?

"Keh, this isn't the kind of thing you can openly carry around and share with, like your porn," Sasuke commented, nodding to his pocket where the tip of his prized possession was showing. Turning back to Itachi, he gave an apologetic grin and said, "This programme was initiated by my Father; don't you think I would know about it?"

* * *

_1200, your cafeteria courtyard; I'll be waiting._

_I_

Sakura clutched her phone, unable to believe her luck. This was going to be their first school date! Or was it? She quickly messaged back to double-check.

_Date it is_.

She stared at the screen for a minute to be sure it was not an illusion, and squealed in her seat. She had always envisioned her first date with him to be somewhere downtown, where intimacy and expensive dining were a no-brainer. However, she had no idea that the thrill and exhilaration from such clandestine rendezvous far triumphed a formal and meticulously planned date.

He said he wanted to stay by her, like couple type of 'stay'. It was almost as good as him asking her to be his girlfriend. _Girlfriend, me, Uchiha Itachi's _girlfriend. The thought sent a shiver of delirium through her body. It felt so unbelievable, like a fairy tale, and so sexy, _like him_. She threw her palm onto her face to suppress the giggle and her raising embarrassment at the memory of molesting his body. She could not believe she actually felt him up and even touched his…

"Sakura, Sakura! Time for lunch!" Ino hollered into her ear, finally drawing her out of her increasingly inappropriate thoughts. If she had not stopped herself, who knew how far things would went?

"Sakura-chan, are you sure you're okay?" Hinata asked as they marched down the corridor, eyeing worriedly at her arm of bandages and plasters.

"Ah these? They'll all be healed in two weeks' time. Oh, and guys about today's lunch…" Ino elicited a groan before she could finish.

"I knew this would happen; I _knew _it. Go on, go have your lunch with your _boyfriend_ and leave your _best friends _alone." Instead of instilling more guilt, all that did was to deepen her blush and made her hidden grin more prominent. She waved them goodbye and sprinted on ahead.

"Remember this is school!" Ino yelled indignantly behind her.

She checked her message again to be sure she got the location right when he was nowhere in sight.

"Itachi? Itachi! _Meow meow_… Argh!" Someone pulled her right arm and she went crashing towards the lawn, into a set of warm arms. She peeled her head off the hard chest and beamed up at Itachi.

"You scared me!" Itachi smirked and pinched her nose playfully.

"So what, I'm a cat now?" He admonished lightly. She stuck out her tongue and eyed the take-away boxes next to him by the wall. When she tried to take it, he moved them out of reach, arms raised above them.

"Give and take." She raised an amused eyebrow at his childish demeanour and obediently landed a gender peck on his lips. When she opened her eyes, he was grinning adorably at her reddening cheeks.

He ordered two sets of teriyaki cha soba and they leaned against the cool concrete wall of the cafeteria to enjoy their lunch. He had chosen a spot away from the outdoor crowds, where they were surrounded by a thick belt of green, bird's orchestra and clear sky. This date could not get any better.

After their appetites were satisfied, Sakura stretched her arms above her and causally dropped her head onto his shoulder.

"Who's the cat now?" Sakura chanted more meowing sounds in response and he ruffled her hair. Itachi glanced towards the sky and wondered how he had coped with a life of celibacy and the constant whizzing through woods and villages. This bucolic lifestyle was strangely addictive and he was beginning to feel more and more at ease in this world. Admittedly, a lot had to do with this unusual girl next to him, who turned his way and stayed that way even after learning of his dark past.

It just occurred to him that while she expressed many interests to his world, he had not been that proactive in finding out hers. He always assumed she was carefree and generally had a normal up growing.

Sakura opened her eyes and got up to look at him when he suddenly fell quiet. Sure enough, he had that brooding look on him again.

"Itachi?"

"Hmm?"

"You seemed a bit distracted." He pulled himself out of his thoughts, from those disturbing papers and glanced at her.

"You're imagining things." She sent him a disapproving look, like the way his Mother did whenever he brought home a pile of reports after his day-long mission.

"Don't lie; we live under the same roof. I've been watching your every move." Itachi raised a brow.

"Somehow that sounded more disturbing than you being concerned." Sakura was not buying that.

"Come on, what's on your mind?"

"Like I said-"

"What's on your mind?"

"You. I can't stop thinking of you."

"I-" The words dissolved on her tongue and she felt her face melting under the intensity of his crimson eyes. When shock followed by embarrassment surfaced behind her jade eyes, he knew he got her and he was not even completely lying.

"Do you want to know what else is on my mind?" As he said that he slowly levered his body closer towards her in a provocative manner, egging her to lean back with an involuntary gulp. While he would die than admit, he enjoyed coaxing all these little reactions from Sakura. Watching her emotions played across her face without any pretence was something he could never dream about doing after carefully hiding them for his life.

"T-That the weather is good?" Itachi's lips tugged in amusement at her feeble attempt to keep her nerves out of the way, and he answered his own question with a petal-like kiss.

He supported his arm above her as he pushed her against the wall and moved her onto his lap. Sakura's hands were stroking his silky locks while his other free hand warmed her flushed cheeks.

"No danna, I swear I saw him headed this way…" When Deidara turned towards his right, he stopped dead in his track; his mouth formed a surprised 'O' before panic set in. Itachi heard the crunching sound of grass and cracked an eye opened. He simply threw him a caveat glare before returning to his engagement, coaxing another soft moan from Sakura.

Deidara gulped and backtracked, fervently pushing Sasori in the opposite direction.

"I-I think it's the other way! No wonder we can't find him; I've got the direction wrong!" Sasori frowned at his unnatural laughter but followed his lead.

Itachi was able to distract Sakura long enough until their footsteps faded into the afternoon breeze, and slowly he dragged his lips away from her slightly swollen ones. Sakura opened her eyes, looking dazed and endearing.

"I think this tasted so much better than the teriyaki," Sakura blurted before she could stop herself.

"This is just the appetizer," He replied in a low voice. She felt her heart racing and face turning hotter at the implication and buried her face into his chest to shield her shyness. They stayed that way for a while, soaking in one another's warmth without a worry for the world. The distant bell ring came too soon.

"I've got to go, Sakura."

"Can't you stay longer? I'm still not done hugging you," Sakura pouted and crushed him harder to prove her point. Itachi mentally grinned and turned to whisper into her ear.

"Have you forgotten where I'm staying?" The unspoken promise of _more _sent a lascivious thrill throughout her, and reluctantly she separated from his warm body.

"I-Is it me or did I hear Dei's voice just now?" Instead of answering, he delivered another smothering kiss that left her all dazed and weak in the stomach. He whispered something in her ear that made her breath catch before standing up.

"Bye, Sakura."

"B-Bye, Itachi," She replied with a vacant stare. Itachi waved and left for his next class. She slowly peeled herself off the soft grass, her heart beating as fast as Eminem's rap. She needed to get her heart checked soon; was it even normal for girls to get this exultant over a guy's causal utterance?

"_Don't go thinking about other guys when you're with me. I won't be so nice the next time it happens._'

* * *

"Come in." At the Chairman's prompt, Itachi smoothed away the imaginary folds on his shirt, straightened himself and entered his office. He was in the midst of perusing a document, his eyes only briefly leaving the paper to acknowledge his presence. The fountain pen was clutched steadily in his hand, ready to give his signature of approval any moment he was done.

In contrast to Minato's office, Hiruzen's was more spacious, traditional and a lot neater. The white blinds were drawn apart to reveal the stunning panorama of modern Konoha. Next to the window, there hanged an impressive silkscreen painting of a huge tree. As opposed to exuding superiority, the overall interior felt very inviting.

"Good afternoon, san dai- Mr Chairman." Signing off the document, he glanced up at Itachi and gestured for him to take a seat. His eyes wrinkled in amusement at his earlier address but chose not to comment on it.

"Uchiha Itachi, ka? I've wanted to meet you for a long time, and please just Hiruzen." He crossed his fingers and took in Itachi.

"Nice to meet you too, Hiruzen-sensei."

"You must be wondering why I invited you here, and no, it's not regarding your ability to use chakra-"

"Grands? Is he here yet… Oh hey you're here!" Konohamaru bolted through the door and climbed onto the cushioned seat next to Itachi. Itachi tousled his hair.

"How are you Konohamaru?" He beamed in response, reminding him of the earlier one Sakura directed at him. Hiruzen's husky voice drew him out of his daze.

"Pardon my grandson. He insisted that I bring him here today to personally thank you," He offered and shook his head, as though at his grandson's mercy.

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad to see him too."

"Your name is Itachi yea? You were so cool back then and I want to thank you for saving my weak ass; I mean I could have died there and it would be so lame, being killed by some pathetic assholes!" He rambled at once and flung his arms out to embrace Itachi in gratitude. Hiruzen gasped at his language and smiled apologetically at Itachi.

"Yes, it's thanks to you that my grandson is safe and sound, Itachi," Hiruzen regarded him with earnest. After he ushered Konohamaru out of the office, his face turned serious.

"That's not the main reason that I called for your presence, in case you're wondering," He smirked for a split second before continuing, "I understand you have your reasons for masking your identity, but rest assured what goes on here shall stay between us." Itachi remained impassive as he digested his words.

"You're from Konoha, aren't you? More specifically, an Uchiha descendant?" He wondered if Konan had told him that, but obligingly nodded.

"I'm not going to ask about your previous life outside of here, not that we can find anything about it," Hiruzen confessed with an intrigued smile, "But I recognise an Uchiha when I see one, or Kanae, since that's what they are calling themselves now."

"What has happened to cause such drastic changes to the Uchiha clan's history?" Itachi asked. If anyone was going to have the answers, it would be him. The Chairman leaned forward and regarded him with a levelled look.

"Have you heard about the legend of the Uchiha ancestor of your namesake?" Itachi released a mental snort at the appropriate-to-context yet absurd question; it seemed that he was condemned to live a life of deceit, never allowed to live as himself for long. Regardless, he nodded again.

"Then you know what he did, or should I say, ordered to do?" Itachi's eyes whirled back to focus. As agreed with Naruto, he made it clear that he had no intention of having his name cleared in order to protect the reputation of the Uchiha clan. _It wasn't written in the records that the massacre was an order, so how did he know_…?

"This is confidential information that has been secretly passed down within the Uchiha clan and between the Hokages when that system was still in place. Now, the message has been dutifully relayed to me, the governor of the future generations." He did not wait for Itachi's response and continued.

"About ninety years ago, my Grandfather has decided that history is doing injustice to a truly honourable man like your ancestor, and made an agreement with the head of Uchiha clan then to alter the records to remove the story of the massacre. It's like a reset button – the secret of Uchiha's attempted betrayal and Itachi's sacrifice shall remain buried. They believed as much as I do that this is the best we can do for him." They sat staring at one another for a moment.

_The head of Uchiha clan then… This must be Sasuke's doing then_…

Itachi closed his eyes and released an audible sigh.

"I honestly don't think that was necessary…" Trust his brother to decide something so radical by himself.

"What do you mean, 'you don't think?'" Hizuren countered sharply. There was no denying the initial shock when Hiruzen came upon Itachi's name in the student records and subsequently, seeing him in person. He was practically a walking legacy of his ancestor and he had to constantly persuade himself that they were two separate people.

"I mean when Itachi did it, I believe he was prepared to be dishonoured, and what's more he was only doing what he felt was needed."

"Don't you think it would be better for people not to misunderstand his intentions?"

"It is true that my clan conspired a coup d'état, and if the sacrifice of one person could protect the reputation of his clan, it does not matter what people thought of him. It was never about your own honour anyway; that's what being in a clan is about," He reflected with a faint smile. Once again, Hiruzen had to blink away the bizarre sensation that he was talking to the actual Uchiha Itachi, and the resemblance was not helping.

"You are a lot like your precursor, and I must say I'm glad that you carry on his will."

"And I'm grateful for you telling me these." Itachi bowed and headed for the door.

_What a strange child_, Hiruzen thought. Till now, he could never fully comprehend the mind of the Uchihas.

Before Itachi left the office, he turned around and felt his eyes drawn to the painting by the window. Once again he contemplated the calligraphy beneath the tree's canopy:

_To not depend on nature energy,_

_But to rely on your natural capabilities;_

_That's the rightful order of nature_.

Hiruzen looked up and saw Itachi's lingering form and followed his acute eyes towards the painting, taking delight in his cognizance.

"This is another ancient relic that has been passed down a hundred years ago; it serves as a reminder of the delicate balance of nature and the reason why the knowledge of chakra is kept secret." Hiruzen seemed absorbed in his thought for a moment before he continued, "But the truth is we do not wish to have another tug of war over chakra with a tree again," He admitted with a wry smile.

"I suppose that sounded silly too." If only Madara could hear this conversation.

* * *

**How many of you were hoping that Itachi might have/should have said the 3 words back there? Trust me, I did; Sakura sure thought that was it but this is Itachi so...**


	19. The Hero of Konoha

**Chapter18 Recall:**

Itachi made a promise to protect Sakura over his bleeding arm, more revelation over the purpose of APEX, the first school lunch date between the main characters &amp; the ultimate truth about the Uchiha's amended history.

* * *

**Chapter19 – The Hero of Konoha**

Itachi was very lucky to be paired with Kisame, even if he would never verbally admit so. Yes, he could be garrulous and overly passionate about Itachi's lack of sex life at times, but he acknowledged Itachi's prowess and they shared a mutual respect to one another. He trusted Itachi enough to let him take charge on most of their missions, especially when it pertained to the capture of the nine-tails. He understood it was his village and accepted whatever decisions Itachi made. If he suspected that Itachi had no intention of capturing Naruto, he definitely did a superb job of masking it.

Since his fate of being a double-agent, he had made it his life mission to skip around rules and scouted avidly for loop-holes – needless to say he was a natural. It was as though fate knew about this all along and prepared him accordingly.

It was a tempestuous path, one that was not ending any time soon after he left Konoha and joined the Akatsuki. The only upside was he had more freedom (to a certain extent) and as a reticent man, the only time he had to watch his words was during meetings with Pein. In fact, reporting about his repeated failure to apprehend the nine-tails was easier than rejecting Sasuke's training sessions in favour for work.

In truth, he really was not a workaholic as the people around him assumed him to be.

Yes, watching Sasuke's chest-fallen face and pointed eyes that shouted liar was tough, but it was easily remedied with another schedule and a heartfelt smile.

He only hoped he could say the same when he divulged the truth to Sakura.

* * *

Her expression was eerily calm and nearly unreadable, but there was no escaping the tension that was radiating from her body. Even though this did not directly concern him, it did not prevent him from being concerned.

At one point Sakura appeared to be shot by a gun; she jerked back from the thick documents that Itachi had passed to her moments after their peaceful dinner at home. However, the blow came and went as soon as she carried on her reading. He wondered if it was about the part concerning Deidara's indirect involvement in her parent's death.

Ten years ago, after Orochimaru abandoned his teaching post in Kizuna, he was employed by Sakura's Father's construction company as the logistics supervisor. A year later, they discovered his keen organisational skills and as a reward for creating the logistics checklist template, he was promoted as the Logistics Manager. This in turn granted him more reins over the company's imports and exports and to an extent, the management of his underlings.

He worked equally hard on the surface and under, occasionally missing out a zero on the total goods received and reported more than a few instances of 'damaged/stolen goods.' Over the years, he was also able to whammy a couple of the labour workers into working unofficially for him. By the fifth year in the company, his mansion, aka laboratory was ready for operation.

He was fast running out of orphans to experiment and began eyeing on his colleague's children that fell within the chakra potency age range, starting with Sakura. That day, he was about to approach her as she was headed for the receptionist's desk when a hand stopped him on his shoulder.

It was Haruno Kizashi, and one look in his eye Orochimaru knew he was busted. He was instructed to kindly hand in his resignation form or risked having to face audit and his 'abnormal' telephone conversations handed to the police. Kizashi was also especially concerned over the mention of Sakura's name and the word 'kidnap' in the same sentence. The next day Orochimaru's name became a distant memory in the company compound, only to be thought of and never to be spoken of again.

A week later, Deidara discovered his collection of ready-made explosives went missing.

Two weeks later, Sakura's parents went up in flames.

It was torturous to watch your parent's lives fled their vessels before your very eyes, and the last thing Itachi expected was for her to experience a similar trauma. As Sakura's eyes hardened to stone, he felt propelled to track down that disgusting snake man and tethered him on one of his non-disinfected surgery table crawling with flesh-eating bugs. Then, he would skin off his slick scales layer by layer, taking extra care to make the procedure excruciatingly slow; no anesthetiser for him too. He would make certain for him to beg for mercy, with tears spilling out, staining his ashen face and his eyes squeezed shut in pure misery-

"Itachi, are you okay?" She was no longer reading the documents but eyeing him in concern. He shook his head to fan off his masochist streak and their reversed roles.

"What about you?" He asked and she seemed startled by the question.

"M-Me?" She nudged her head at the papers cautiously and asked timidly, "Where did you find… This?" Itachi briefly explained what happened after they left and how Sasori chanced upon this when they foraged the hideout for clues and the remaining kids.

"So they're all safe now? That's a relief…" When he continued giving her the look, she sighed and set the papers heavily on the dining table and rested her chin on the cool glass surface.

"Turns out it wasn't pure bad luck for my parents but a calculated move. I don't know whether to feel… Guilty that their deaths were because of me, or relieved that I missed my demise because of the poster." He recalled her referring to the poster which he supposedly fell out of as a 'life-saver,' and did not give it much thought until now. It was so literal that it was almost unbelievable and slightly unnerving.

"It's not your fault." He did not chide that she should be grateful to be alive or offered consolations that their parents would gladly proffer their lives if it meant that she could live. He simply reminded her that what happened was inevitable and what was the point of beating yourself over something you were powerless against? Sakura straightened her back and pointed forlornly to her chest.

"It's been so long, all that I feel now is a gaping hole where their presence used to be. If I knew they were targeting me, if there was a chance to rewind time, I would not hesitate for one second and gladly surrender myself to this Orochimaru man, if it means my parent's lives could be spared." She smiled sadly, her gaze unfocused and Itachi could not begin to fathom how she must be feeling now.

"To think this is how I repay them for giving birth to me…" She choked out.

_To think this is how I repay them for giving birth to me_… Itachi shut his eyes to suppress the image of his parents and to separate himself from the rising guilt that would haunt him interminably.

"Come over here."

Sakura stood and welcomed his solid chest, leaning dejectedly against him and allowing the steady thuds of his heart to sooth her fractured soul. It was a reminder that life was not something to be taken granted for.

Itachi willed for some, if not all of her pain and sorrows to be transferred to him, that she would learn to forgive herself and not be swallowed by helplessness. It was until now that he realised how similar their fate had been, faced with the burden of their dear one's death and the role they played in their injustice fate. Suddenly, he questioned his decision to reveal the truth.

"It's not your fault, Itachi. Thank you for showing me this, the truth." Sakura grinned woefully at the flicker of surprise across his eyes.

"I don't think you know, but whenever you second-guess yourself, your eyes would wonder slightly to your right."

"I do?"

"Don't worry; the only reason I noticed that was from staring into your eyes for a month so I doubt anyone discovered that yet," She added with a playful tone. His eyes glinted in amusement and he lowered his face to her level, an inch away from kissing her.

"Should I be worried that I have a stalker on my back?" Sakura pretended to think for a second.

"Yes, in fact you should run away as fast as you could, before I grab onto you and refuse to leave." He slipped out a rueful smile at that comment and closed the distance between them.

* * *

By Friday morning the media had gotten hold of news of the rescued kids and it was all over the LED screens, newspapers, internet news and even entertainment webpages. The media was able to gradually piece together the bigger picture, and it was unavoidable for Itachi's name to surface. It was a matter of time before some desperate underpaid paparazzi resorted to stalking him and finding out his home address; not that he would allow that to happen.

In school, there was really no escaping the curious stares that made him wished for the stupid Akatsuki's straw hat. It was tedious enough just to maintain a straight face and appeared unaffected as he usually would be, and he wondered how his reincarnation had managed to pull it off with such effortless. Wait, why was he even thinking about him? God, one more reason to dislike him.

"Hey, Uchiha-san right? Can we take a picture with you?" Why was he the only one being constantly subjected to this type of treatment?

"Can I say n-"

"Oh my god, it's him, IT'S HIM! Lisa, Rena, over here!" Itachi looked around helplessly, completely abashed and, if he would admit, like a powerless Mother hen who was unable to tame her chicks. Not that they were his chicks or anything-

"_Gosh_, absolutely luuuuuuurve your pony. How do you keep it so straight and silky?" He had to stop himself from flinching away from her brash touch of his sacrosanct property, which he usually reserved for Sakura.

"I know right! Doesn't he just remind you of Kanae-san? They're practically twins!" Maybe he should contemplate about sniping off his hair if it meant it would cut off such referential remarks pertaining to that damn singer-

"What?! Are you crazy? Uchiha-san is soooo much better than that singer okay! He freaking saved the kids; he's our god damn hero!" Alright, maybe he would not chop it off; he did prefer his hair long anyway, since he could tie it back and not let it got in his way…

"Only less muscular and much _much _prettier," One of them added shyly at the back of the crowd, and that single comment somehow unified the girls as they all agreed wholeheartedly, disregarding Itachi's scowl (not that anyone could tell he was scowling). Never mind that they were babbling on as though he was air, but if they were not planning to move out of his way soon-

"Sorry to interrupt you ladies, but Itachi-san here is needed elsewhere and I'm going have to steal him for now."

"Whaaaat? No way!"

"We're not done with him!" Itachi frowned; who did they think he was, some kind of puppy for them to fondle and scratch?

"Hoshikagi-san you're a party-pooper!" Flashing the fuelling ladies his best killer smile, he apologised once again and extracted the helpless Itachi from his improvised fan club.

"Thank you, Kisame." Kisame cocked his head back at the fast dispersing crowd and chuckled at his visible sense of relief.

"I saw your face from afar and you looked like you're about to die from female suffocation!"

"I'm not…That comfortable in mass presence of women." _Especially crazy ones like these that just keep coming in this era_. He mentally shuddered at the mere thought of it and he briefly wondered if Sakura was like that when she saw Kanae I- _Stop thinking about that man_.

"Man I hope you're not like that with your girlfriend," Kisame commented with a concerned glance.

"Girlfriend? What, I-"

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me anything; it's your life. But if you need any advice, and I mean any, you know my number." At the troubled look that followed his comment, Kisame immediately felt a fleeting pang for the lady in question. He sighed dramatically and regarded Itachi with a serious eye.

"For starters, when you're out for a date, you can try holding her hand. She may appear shocked and even flinch away from your touch, but that's just their way of telling you to grab on tighter and don't let go."

* * *

At Kisame's text, Deidara perked up from his spot behind the abundance of balloons he was tasked to string along the white board.

"They're coming, they're coming!"

"Would you lower your voice, Deidara?" Sasori ordered from his desk, where he was pumping helium into more balloons. In retaliation, Deidara grabbed one of the confetti poppers from his pocket (yep, he was hoping to steal some to use it for the surprise dinner he planned for Ino tonight) and flung it at Sasori, to which he skilfully dodged and ended up hitting Konan's temple. Instinctively, Deidara sucked in a deep breath.

"Oh god sorry Konan I didn't mean to-"

"Deidara." He gulped in trepidation at Pein's threatening glare.

"S-Sorry Pein, hmm," He muttered and felt himself shrinking into a mouse. After checking that there was no significant damage dealt to his angel, he threw one more disapproving scowl at the culprit and dismissed him.

_Bloody overprotective boyfriend, hmm_.

The rest of the Akatsuki members were doing the finishing touches to their once barren classroom, now lavished with excessive black and red helium balloons across the ceilings and velvet cloths hanging along the walls.

"Kakuzu, would you stop counting the change? I've passed you the receipt didn't I? I swear I didn't smuggle the extra notes for myself!"

"Shut up, only a fool would believe you, Hidan."

"Listen, why not we have a competition to see who can inflate the most number of balloons and the loser tops up the shortage _and _offers a treat for lunch? No limits to dining choice." At the prospect of a free and exorbitant meal, Kakuzu glanced up from the heavenly smell of notes, meeting Hidan's challenging eyes with interest.

"What's the time limit?" Hidan's smile broadened like a maniac.

"Ten minutes. Zetsu, wanna join us?" Zetsu looked up from where he was cleaning Deidara's over-vandalised desk towards their quizzical stares.

"No thanks, but I can be your timer."

The distant shuffling footsteps made their way into Deidara's distracted mind and he haphazardly scrambled down the ladder, nearly toppling it over himself.

"They're here, people, they're freaking HERE- Ouch, danna!"

"Thank you Sasori, I was itching to do that," Konan added with a smirk.

* * *

With Kisame as his makeshift bodyguard, Itachi was able to make the rest of the way through the university with minimal drama. As Kisame himself was as much a lady's man as Itachi seemed to be, it was unavoidable for eyes to linger on them longer than necessary. For this, his partner resorted to playing the gay card, which was, surprise surprise, a foreign concept for Itachi.

"Aren't you a little too close, Kisame." Instead of shifting away like a normal person who got the hint would, he actually smirked, in a seductive and suggestive manner.

"You've got many things to learn, Itachi-san. This is a survival stratagem – in fact we should be chummier…"

In all the day he had travelled with Kisame, Itachi had never once felt any physical discomfort with him, or even thought much about this matter. That was probably because they were both respectable men in their own right and unquestionably, as straight as Itachi's hair.

If not for the comforting fact that Kizame was attached and hundred percent smitten with that lady, he would have shoved a chakra charged palm in his direction and generally reacted more violently to that muscular arm currently wrapped around his waist, causally. Yes, not shoulders, but _waist_ for goodness sake.

The firm grip on his love handle felt awkward, inappropriate and largely disturbing, and Kisame's cologne was making him dizzy. However, it was this or the mob of girls, and though it was not much of a choice, he pinched his eyes shut, sighed and carried on walking.

Before they reached their classroom, Kisame stopped to rectify his undone laces and egged him on. He secretly thanked the shoe laces for his freedom and slid the door opened-

"SURPRISE!" Itachi ducked his head in time to the burst of metallic streamers of all colours leaping at him, falling all over his hair and shoulders. When he peered into what he barely recognised as their classroom, he found that the place was flooded with at least a hundred balloons, and a couple were spinning out and crashing onto the corridor.

"What's this about?" He entered the classroom and found two head peeking out from the sea of black and red rubber, panting heavily and looking pale. Hidan he could understand, but Kakuzu too?

"They just had an intense make-out session, if you're wondering," Deidara supplied from his spot by the white board.

"You… Shut your fuckin'… trap… Dei," Hidan cussed and split out a deflated balloon from his mouth. How classy.

"Do you mind? I just cleaned the space… And you lost by a balloon and a half by the way, Hidan," Zetsu remarked regrettably which only served to aggravate him more.

"Heard… Heard that Hidan? You owe… me… a meal…" That came from breathless Kakuzu. Pein rolled his eyes and drew Itachi's attention away from their balderdash.

"This is… A surprise celebration…"

"Created for you, Itachi-san," Konan finished and flourished a bouquet of origami orange roses. He took the bouquet and caught the placards strung across the whiteboard above Deidara. He twisted around to a beaming Kisame.

"So you were part of this."

"Can't say I'm sorry; you deserved as much as a recognition," He reflected with a shrug. His surprised eyes drank in the effort taken to transform their functional classroom into this party room, a weird sensation sitting in his gut.

"But I didn't do much-"

"Not only did you find the missing children, Chairman's grandson and Sakura, but you also discovered the mastermind's hideout and exposed the spy within our institution. Surely that constitutes as 'something?'" Sasori countered genuinely, much to his surprise.

"Sasori's right, and anyway this was Minato-sensei's idea; he'll be treating us to a sumptuous meal after school, so do stay around," Pein concluded and delivered an approving pat on his shoulder.

"And it's all thanks to you, Itachi-san," Konan could not help but added. Kisame materialised next to Itachi and slung an arm around (thank goodness) his shoulder in an affirmative manner.

He scanned across the eyes of the people gathered before him, for him, and detected only the purest of sincerity from every one of them. He closed his eyes and offered a faint smile.

"No, you're wrong. There's only so much that I can do, and without you all, the operation would not have been half as successful." He had everyone's attention, and even Hidan stopped threatening to pass out from carbon dioxide overload.

"I used to believe there is no one more reliable as yourself, and how terribly wrong am I. To have comrades- to have friends walking beside you and be able to offer your assistance in times of their need," He paused and briefly settled his eyes on the letters on the placards, "Far exceed the credits acquired or to be called a hero."

* * *

Of course he had to go ahead to suggest the most popular shabu-shabu and when Sasori recommended the hottest store downtown, he was acting all suave and readily agreed without doing some research beforehand. That explained everyone's surprised and rapturous expressions, which then he assumed that everyone was probably just diehard fan of beef hot pot.

Of course it had to be the priciest shabu-shabu and now that he had given his word...

"Waitress!" The size fourteen, voluptuous mid-twenties lady with a head of black wavy hair materialised with the promptness one could only dream of when flagging for a taxi.

"Yes dear?" Her voice was equally pleasant; Hidan licked his lips, imagining her tasting as luscious as the beef they served here.

"Can we have another top-up of the wagyu and gindara? And while you're at it do you mind adding your name onto a separate list? Charge that to Hidan, yours truly."

"W-What?"

"Excuse my friend, just the beef and codfish will do," Kakuzu amended courteously. When the poor waitress glanced back uncertainly, Hidan, whose eyes never left her ass, took the chance to wink at her. She jerked and scampered into the kitchen.

"Hidan, you forgot my sashimi, hmm!" Deidara jeered from two seats away next to Kakuzu, and Minato nearly choked on the smoking hot wagyu that he forgot to chill before devouring. He was far too distracted to mind its succulence.

"Guys, you know it's not that I don't mean it when I said I'm treating…"

"We knfw sensei, you juft want us to eat wifthouf burden rigfht? Don't wurry we will, hmm!" Deidara interjected mirthfully across him.

"Are you beginning to regret this, Minato-sensei?" Konan asked emphatically.

"W-What? Of course not, it's not every day that a sensei gets to treat his students a meal yea? Hahahaha ha ha… Haiis." Kisame caught their conversation and chortled good-humouredly while Kakuzu shook his head at his sensei's severe lack of financial planning. Guess he would just have to keep his credit card bill well-hidden from Kushina for this month too. Last month's fiasco involving his debut appearance at the casino against his better judgement with Jiraya was barely covered by his timely promotion and pay raise.

On the other hand, it was also not every day that his students got to crack a huge case, was it?

This dining together, so filled with kinetics and zero scruples for formalities was a healthy change and bizarre contrast that Itachi was still having trouble getting used to. During one of those rare occasions where all Akatsuki members were available and present at base, everyone would dine together – in silence. There were no small talks except for the occasional enquiry on their Jinchuuriki hunt or a hand with getting the condiment. No one was being friendly, because there was really no need to.

"Damn it Deidara, stop taking my meat and cook yourself!"

"Come on danna, aren't we BFFs? Stop being so calculative, hmm!" If not for their sandwiched in the middle seats predicament, Sasori would have butt-shoved him out of the lacquered timber bench without a minute's notice.

Who knew that in an alternate dimension everyone could be getting along so well? Even Sasori who was always complaining and chiding seemed to be enjoying himself in the company of his classmates.

This was no longer a group of notorious criminals gathered with hidden agendas and common interests – this was a bunch of spirited friends living in the moment and bonding over common taste buds.

"Hey guys, I've got a suggestion – since I'm sure everyone agrees this is yet to be one of the best gatherings we've had, why not go all the way and throw a private party at Itachi's house to celebrate his hero status, hmm?" Before Itachi could voice his opinion on this matter since there was really no 'his house' to begin with-

"That sounds brilliant and all but this is Itachi's place we're talking about-"

"Minato-sensei, don't worry; this time we'll be splitting the bills and I'm sure Itachi-san wouldn't mind, hmm," Deidara punctuated with a smile and an assuring nod.

Minato tittered sheepishly while Itachi frowned at Deidara's 'fantastic' suggestion.

"I don't know about that-"

"This is a chance to finally see your place, Itachi-san. You said you're staying with a relative right?" Itachi threw a slightly annoyed expression at the usually loyal Kisame but eventually nodded.

"So, the venue's decided. Next we need someone to take care of the food, decorations and goodie bags…"

"I don't mind giving a hand with the decorations," Zetsu offered, followed by Konan and Sasori and almost too efficiently the design team was formed. Things were fast spiralling out of Itachi's control; so much for having spirited friends. Before it seemed like such an incentive to his colourless life, next they were busy planning a party that Itachi had no intention of partaking in and oh, it would be conveniently located at his living quarters _against_ his wish-

"Hey Itachi-san what's your address? We need it not only for us but for the caterers too!" Konan asked. His begging eyes caught Minato's 'sorry, can't help you there' gaze and he felt more sold than ever. Using the square papers that Konan 'helpfully' supplied out of nowhere, he reluctantly scribbled down the address and duplicated one for everyone.

"'Haruna residence, Yonder Road' huh? Might have been there to plant some explosive tags a long while ago," Pein remarked with a faraway voice. Deidara thought he misread the address but Pein's verbal reiteration confirmed his doubts.

_Haruna? #10-02? Isn't that where Sakura-chan lives_...?

"Can't wait to see the apartment you're staying in," Kisame added with a meaningful look that Itachi was not falling for.

"Let me just check with my relative before everyone gets too carried away," Itachi said, the comment cutting directly in Deidara's face, who was eyeing him with disbelief.

He had no idea that Itachi had been living with Sakura all along, and the notion somehow disturbed him more than his questionable claim of their blood relations. Or that they were making out. Eeew.

* * *

Sakura's attention was zapped away by yet another pair of nurses who zipped passed her. Surely an emergency warranted more hushed exchange to hurry up and sombre faces instead of incessant giggles and tripping over flats from over-giggling? She heard from Tsunade that once you worked in the medical field long enough, you eventually got accustomed to casualties and numbed to death. That was also the signal to retire from the hospital because if you felt nothing from the end of a life, then did that still made you a complete human?

She knocked on ward 2202's door before entering, to discover the room empty. Oh no, it had been her life goal to ensure her wards were never missing and yet, it happened and she was not even distracted!

"Excuse me Shizune-san, have you seen ward 2202's patients? They're four kids who were recently admitted but now they're missing and-"

"Whoa calm down Sakura-chan! They're probably on the first floor by the entrance," Shizune answered calmly.

"What? Why would they be there?" Better than to wait around for an answer – the answer was staring in her face when she bolted to the entrance lobby and saw the misplaced kids hugging Itachi's legs. There were also many more admitted orphans jumping around him and vying for his attention.

"Itachi?" At Sakura's voice, Itachi's stiffed as rock expression immediately dissolved into his relieved-as-hell-but-impossible-to-tell-anything-had-changed-unless-you-knew-him-well face.

"Oh Sakura, you came to see Uchiha-san too?"

"Of course she is! Who doesn't want to be graced by the presence of Konoha's hero? So Uchiha-san, you were telling us how you were stalked by the paparazzi?" _Was _I? Itachi's eyes momentarily tore away from Sakura to the eager swarm of nurses and children gathered around him like Father Santa.

"Usually I would attempt to lose them after a corner but now it has gotten quite worse, especially today, and I had to use a disguise…"

"It sounds like a regular occurrence to you, this being stalked business," One of the middle-aged nursed pointed out.

"It must be hard," A younger nurse added sympathetically. He mentally shook his head; to think a wanted ninja like him was reduced to telling bedtime stories for women and kids in his spare time.

"If I were to be honest, this is indeed a change from being hunted down by bounty-hunters and assassins, but not any less deadly as I hoped." There was a significant pause, before the assemblage broke down into shrills of laughter. The puzzled kids spun their heads around and for lack of better reaction, joined in the laughing party.

"Oh gosh, what a comparison! I hope you're not referring to us; the nurses of Konoha Hospital are pretty civilised!" Their howling escalated as Itachi's not quite joke fully sank in. If this was not a cue to turn away and ran before he turned postal, he might as well set up a camp and ignited a bonfire.

Sakura caught his subtle tilt of head towards the sliding door; it was time to swing into action. Biting her lips and sending him an 'okay' sign, she sprinted off in the speed of light and checked herself out for the night.

"While we're at it why not let's all have a one to one photo-taking session with Uchiha-san? I'm sure he _won't _mind!" Itachi hoped his grimace could be pulled off as a smile as he was definitely _not_ in a smiling mood.

_Hurry up would you, Sakura_?

* * *

Itachi refrained from commenting on Sakura's poorly masked giggles as they ambled along the night streets of Konoha.

"I'm never going to forget that moment and your face. You should have seen yourself in the mirror; you looked like you're about to be raped!"

"I'll make sure never to get myself into such a situation again."

"What, you mean the smiling in pain part or the you got raped part?"

"We're not having this conversation, Sakura." Sakura pouted but sensing that he was not in the mood for banter, she sighed and allowed the chitter-chatters of the crowded streets to fill in the silence that ensued. It was getting harder to manoeuvre with these thongs of people.

"Itachi?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for fetching me home. It's really sweet of you." Itachi turned around and found Sakura a few heads behind him, grinning gently, that sweet smile that was only for him. Whatever he did to deserve that? And he was being pretty grumbly earlier to her; now he felt like an ass.

Just when she thought she was about to lose sight of him, he turned back in time to rescue her from the sea of anonymity. Retracing his footsteps, he pushed through the crowd, eyes not once leaving her and made a grab for her right arm before she was swallowed up by the activity. The drastic movement apparently shocked not just Sakura but the entire streets and people were now openly staring at the entwined pair.

"It's that guy from the news!"

"Shhs, he's on a date; let's not disturb him."

He was holding her hand in that awkward parent dragging a reluctant kid away from a swing way, but who was she to complain an act of initiative from Uchiha Itachi? She remained stiff in his grip, afraid that any movement would be misinterpreted as discomfort and he would let go of her.

"L-Looks like you're going to be more famous than my idol in no time!" She piped up as an attempt to distract herself from the warmth of his secure (and slightly uncomfortable) grip and self-consciousness from the strangers' relentless gaze.

Itachi darted his eyes towards her before he could stop himself – there was the dreamy look again that he had come to associate with that man. Talk about annoyingly ubiquitous.

"I wouldn't want that to happen," He replied in a gruff voice. _Never in a million years_, he wanted to add, but that would raise unnecessary questions.

"Why not?"

"I'll feel uncomfortable." He was also not completely lying.

"But what shall we do now – you're already famous Itachi!" Her exclamation caused a few heads to turn, and sensing a repeat of the earlier Hospital Incident, Itachi briskly led her towards an alley, away from the ongoing traffic.

"Sakura, wait here for me." Leaving a befogged Sakura by the dusty concrete wall, he walked and disappeared into the darkness of the narrow alley, not once looking back. She followed where he went but all there were was an overflowing dustbin and-

"ARGHHH!"

"_Meoooow_." Sakura pushed against her chest to calm her slamming heart. The black cat that leapt out from behind the bin gave her a hard stare before deeming her uninteresting and fled for the night.

Panic set in as she realised she was alone and possibly abandoned in the pitch-black alley.

_Wait, where the hell did Itachi go? Why would he lead me here to vanish without a trace? Unless… _

_No, no no no no no no no no_...!

She tried to quell the raising dread and clenched her fists against her breasts to stop her eyes from tearing. Which was the way out of this black hole, the left or right? Where was she again? Did it matter?

She stumbled blindly onto the streets, the world suddenly devoid of noise and colour and her mind an empty and damaged canvas as she stumbled onto someone-

"S-S-S-Sorry… I didn't mean to… Oh my god S-Sasuke-kun?" Her friend reached out both hands to steady Sakura in time before she went head-diving into the crowd. Sasuke stared back at her and shook his head.

"It's me, Sakura."

"Yea, I-I know it's you…" With her distress momentarily hijacked, she got a good look at her ex-crush, hands still on her shoulder peering intently at her. His brows were dipped in a troubled frown, eyes searching for clues to her panic and mouth set in a stern line at her unsatisfactory answer. Wait a second; this was _not_ Sasuke, at least not the Sasuke that she knew…

"I-Itachi…? Is that you?" He smirked in the way Sasuke would be proud of and she realised then they had virtually the same smirk, with the care-less half tug of the left lips and the playful glimmer in the eyes. He pretended to glanced towards his empty wrist.

"The last I checked, I am."

"Wait wait wait… You mean you can clone other people too?!" Sakura was impressed.

"Yes Sakura. Now people will stop staring at us like we've grown a head. Let's go." Sakura flinched when he tried to grab her hand, as though afraid of being infidel to Itachi.

"Don't worry, I won't tell Itachi that you are holding hands with your previous love interest," He added puckishly after catching her hesitant look. She gulped and reminded herself this was essentially Uchiha Itachi's hand extending to her… Without waiting, he fastened his clasp around her dainty hand, remembering Kisame's words of wisdom on woman's reaction vs thoughts.

"Let's go," He said without looking at her, and Sakura thought she saw a faint pink tinge across his high cheeks. To think that even the way they blushed was similar!

Feeling ecstatically bold and incredibly pleased by the circumstance, she adjusted her hand and interlocked her fingers with his. Decades ago she might have wished to be able to hold Sasuke's hand like this and walked down the streets, staking her claim. It certainly paid to be vague with your wishes.

"I'm so glad that you're still here," Sakura added softly after a while. Sasuke/Itachi glimpsed a small dancing of light by the corner of her eyes, grasping what his earlier disappearing act might have seen to her. Tightening his hold, he tugged her closer so that they were sharing body warmth. He twisted his head and rested his chin on her pink mop of soft hair as they strolled under the starless sky.

_Of course I'll still here_, he wanted to say, but he hated to make promises he had no hold over.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Sakura."

* * *

Sakura picked nervously at 'only one of the best, carefully selected brownies served with a fresh serving of vanilla ice cream from the finest chef of Konoha,' debating whether it was a waste to just gobble it down in a goal. It was world-class standard after all. However a quick scan around her living room proved her thoughts to be redundant – Itachi's classmates, with the exception of Sasori and himself, were absorbed in piling up their bio-degradable paper plates to its maximum capacity.

Not even a glance was spared at the description cards that accompanied each catering trays. She could not help but felt remorse for the marketing guy who cramped his brain for hours to come up with more descriptive words for 'delicious food.'

Less effort was invested in the beverage department, with cringe-worthy alliterations like 'Sweet-Sweet Sugary Sake,' 'Sip N Sigh Shochu' and 'Ass-citing Asahi.' Obviously the person was not even trying by the last drink, and speaking of which why were they all alcoholic?

"If my memory serves me well, the grey pompadour by the sofa was in-charge of the beverages," Itachi supplemented when Sakura commented on her critical observation.

"He seems familiar… Oh shit I think he snogged one of my friends two years ago; can't believe he's in the elite programme of the U!" Sakura smacked her forehead at the coincidence of it all.

"Me neither." To be honest, that incident could have been avoided if Sakura had found Ino earlier after she lost her during one of their post-break-up shopping therapies. When they passed by a vintage café, she had to be a pig-head and blurted out, "Hey isn't this where he kneed down and asked you to be his girlfriend?"

Before she could add on 'with a stalk of rose,' Ino's lips trembled and she promptly broke down into a mess of snivel and sobs and scuttled off, her shopping bags conveniently left behind by Sakura's feet. Not that Sakura could blame her, of course. But still, there were at least ten tote size bags, all suddenly under her supervision.

The grey pompadour, revealed by Itachi as Hidan (gosh, even his name sounded lecherous), allegedly had found Ino squatting by a street lamp and when he asked her what was up, she wiped futilely at her eyes and reported the devastating news to the 'concerned' stranger.

"How could he just dump me?"

"Well… What's so good about him?"

"For one, he's a pretty darn good kisser," Ino had said with a pout.

"Twenty bucks says I can do better than that asshole, my pretty lady."

Sakura had to literally pry them off to put a stop to their shameless act. She also recalled delivering a good shove at Hidan's manhood and reprimanded him for taking advantage of a vulnerable girl. It was not a pretty scene.

"… And did she take those twenty bucks?" Itachi asked with mild interest.

"Actually…" She rubbernecked to check that Deidara was out of earshot before continuing, "She did." He cocked his eyebrow in amusement before clearing his throat in a self-conscious manner.

"I er-hem, hope you're er-hem, satisfied."

"Huh? Satisfied with what, the food? Yea the food's pretty darn good!"

"I'm not referring to that." Itachi downed his second cup of shochu, his head turned away from her.

"Then what- OOH," Sakura blurted out before embarrassment assaulted her and poured red all over her face.

"Ahh, this must be the mysterious relative that I've been hearing about! Hey what's wrong? Why are your faces so red? Are the prawns too spicy?" Kisame joined the duo camping by the kitchen window and thankfully he seemed ignorant to the contents of their conversation.

"H-HI! You must be Hoshikagi-san; I'm Haruno Sakura, nice to meet you!" She cringed at how chirpy and unnatural she sounded. Itachi was suddenly taciturn and focused on chewing the spicy prawns that were not even spicy and so small that did not even require chewing.

"That's me, nice to meet you too. You know, since Itachi-san's arrival the days in school have become a lot more interesting than I could ask for. And I'm guessing I could say the same for you, Haruno-san?"

"Well… Two's certainly a company; I wouldn't give it up for the world," She added coyly, hiding a satisfied grin when the man in question stopped nibbling on those damn prawns. Kisame rolled his eyes between the brewing love birds, his smirk growing with each passing second.

"Ho… You two seemed to get along rather fine, or more than fine, should I say, Itachi-san?" Kisame replied with a significant look at Itachi.

"Is there anything you need, Kisame?" Kisame caught Itachi's severe expression and could not resist a guffaw.

"Geez, you're as serious as ever, even during parties. I just want to remind you to go slow on the shochu; it's extra strong. Alright, I shall leave you two alone. Thanks for the permission to use your apartment, Haruno-san!"

* * *

The last of the rowdy squad left at two in the morning, after they had finished with the cleaning of the apartment and packing of garbage. Or rather, they were forced to, since that was the condition to host the party in Sakura's apartment.

"I still can't believe you did this," Sakura said as they lugged the remaining garbage bags to the dumpster at the back of the apartment.

"Used the clones to help us carry all the bags down?"

"No, not that…" Well and _that_, but who could say no to extra pairs of hands and the pleasure of being surrounded by more Itachis? She blessed Haruna's lack of surveillance cameras or it might be quite tough to explain away the quadruplets of Itachis tagging behind them.

"It's just, you don't look like a party person to me." Sakura set the hefty bags down with the grace of an elephant and watched as Itachi threw his bag into the gigantic olive green dumpster in one elegant swing. Was there anything this guy could not do?

"Sakura, I realise your perception of ninja is to project us as killing machines. You don't think we have parties and rest days too?" Even though his tone was more amused than accusatory, Sakura could not help but felt like a snob who stereotyped.

"No, you've misunderstood! I was just taken aback… You once mentioned about bringing back some friends, I-I just didn't expect you'd go all the way…" Itachi released a thin smile as he took Sakura's bags and brought them to their new home.

"Always expect the unexpected, Sakura." She groaned in response while Itachi chuckled away. As Itachi thanked his clones and dispersed them, Sakura saw an opening. As soundlessly as her nearly breaking flip-flops could allow, she crept up behind him and summoned her remaining strength left from carrying those black bags and punched him.

Punched the air was a closer description, as her fist sailed passed his shoulder when he slanted towards the left. Before she fell from inertia, Itachi grabbed her arm and steadied her in his chest.

"What are you doing, Sakura?"

"D-Do you have eyes on your back, Itachi?" Damn, the guy was smooth!

"No, I'm not a Hyuuga." _Hyuuga? What has this got to do with Hinata's family_? Before Sakura could form a logical explanation, Itachi propped her up onto his arms without even a sign of strain.

"Hey hey hey… What are _you _doing now?" She said between nervous giggles, hit by déjà vu from the first time they met and he had to carry her up when the lift broke down.

"I'm abducting you for attempting to cause me bodily harm." With a bent of his knees, he launched them up towards the trees and whizzed through the foliage, narrowly avoiding the sharp branches.

The next moment when she opened her eyes, she gasped at their new location.

"T-This is…!" They were standing by the bank of the same stream that carried fluid memories of their first time here, where she revealed this secret piece of heaven to the man securing her in his chest.

"Where you pushed me into the water, yes I remember." Sakura tilted her head to stare at his glistening eyes in disbelief.

"And of all things to remember… Eeeek!" The freezing water assaulted her lungs and senses and for a moment she thought she would perish from hypothermia. However, remembering this was really a less than one and a half metre depth stream and who she came with, she quickly broke for the water surface.

"A-Are you tr…trying to k…kill me, Itachi!" She huffed between mouthful of the glacial water and boiling anger, before he abruptly entered the water and brought her into a lukewarm embrace.

"Sorry Sakura, I'm so used to bathing by the stream that I forgot how cold the water gets at night." At the mention of 'bathing by the stream,' her unadulterated anger evaporated as she was rapidly hit by images of his seductive nude form and his g-

"W…Why did you b…bring us here?" She managed between chattering teeth and her rising temperature. Itachi frowned at her frigid arms and slowly guided them out of the water by her shoulders. He lowered them by the oak tree by the bank and rubbed his hands on her arms to warm her up.

"No reason to turn in so early on such a beautiful night, and since there's no school tomorrow, I thought I should bring you out on a date."

"Y…You mean fr…freez…zing night date." Itachi began to unbutton his grey shirt and before she could question his intent, he flipped it around Sakura's shaking frame.

"Sakura, wait here for me." Her hand instinctively reached for his when he stood up. His eyes softened and he planted a tender kiss on her forehead.

"I'm not going anywhere; I'm just going to gather some branches to start a fire." Reluctantly, she released her grip and tucked the flimsy cloth closer around her body.

"Isn't that going somewhere too…"

After starting the chakra-fuelled fire, Itachi felt her body gradually returning to normal temperature and sighed. The alcohol in his system was wreaking havoc to his decision-making skills, reminding him why he was resistant against it in the first place.

Sakura was curled up next to him and leaning her sleepy head on his shoulder. He thought that he did not mind if time were to cease movement and they could remain like this forever.

"Itachi… Do you think we met before, in your world?" With his own head resting against the thick oak trunk, he closed his eyes and flittered through memories of his parallel world.

"I think we did."

"What? You mean like a ninja version of me? What did I do?" Sakura's voice was no longer somnolent, excited by the prospect of her uber-cool previous-self wielding lethal weapons and fighting crimes.

"What if I tell you that all you did was to break someone out of an illusion and the rest of the time you were busy hiding behind a boulder?" If Sakura did not know any better, she would have mistook his amused tone as joking.

"I what? And did you say I was hiding?!" Itachi felt her head brushing in disapproval against his shoulder and he struggled to bite back his smile.

"Man, for me to do that, either I was a terribly useless ninja or the enemy's incredibly powerful, like off the charts powerful," She continued in a gravelly tone.

"What if I tell you I was the enemy?" Sakura's eyes widened and she got up.

"No way! Then I must say it is fated that we get to meet again!" She was brimming with such exuberance, a huge contrast against the serious frown and bellicose stance of the kunoichi with Naruto and Kakashi all those times ago. It was hard to imagine they might be the same person. Itachi snorted in amusement.

"That sounds a little far-fetched, considering our circumstances." For one, they did not even exchange a blow, let alone a word.

"Aren't those couples always saying things like I don't care if it takes a day, a month or a year, or even if I'll have to cross the universe just to be with you?"

"Well… They don't know what they're talking about. And strictly speaking I didn't cross the world to be with you… It was more of an _accident_…" Sakura puffed an air of incredulity at his lack of delicacy.

"Itachi, it doesn't hurt to fib a little during romantic times like this, you know?"

"Alright alright, then shall I make it up to you, my Sakura…?"

* * *

Sakura woke up to a wall of hard muscles next to her face, and one poke at it confirmed her suspicions that this was what being in seventh heaven was about. She pushed her head back and met her dopey eyes to Itachi's feline pair, watching her in the way that made her felt like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. What a refreshing way to start the day.

"Good morning, Itachi."

"Good morning, Sakura." She gave a languid smile in response and trailed her eyes down his exposed upper body. His shirt was wrapped around her like a protective arm, like a persona of him. She reached out and caressed one of his old wounds on his right arm. Even after Tsunade's treatment, the burn marks remained visible against his alabaster skin.

"Who was the one who hurt you so badly?" She had always wondered about his beaten plight when he first entered her life. Itachi's faced turned serious for a moment before returning to its peaceful expression.

"It was my little brother." Sakura's eyes zoned back to Itachi's, but he was smiling. He was smiling at the defeat of a supposedly traitor of his village, smiling at the memory of his brother and the only decision that he had no regrets of till date.

"You couldn't kill him, could you?"

"No, I can't. It was my wish to die by his hands." Her gaze hardened and she made a grab for his hand, entwining it with her slightly chilly fingers. Holding his eyes, she brought his hand towards her lips and kissed it.

"You're here, not dead. You're here with me, alive."

"…" Suddenly, Itachi felt a queasy sensation spreading its roots throughout him, and he struggled to make out Sakura's words that were growing fainter with each waning heartbeat.

"Itachi, I love you."

Itachi fought to remain conscious, his mind lucid enough to recognise this as his last chance to gather his act together and faced his heart. He shifted his head closer towards Sakura, watching her through his hazy vision and wanting to feel those lips on him.

"Sakura, I…"

When Sakura peeled opened her eyes, there was no Itachi.

She glanced down at her empty hand and looked up.

There was no one next to her.

The birds were chirping above her, soaring in blithe. They were flying at odds with the gentle zephyr, but they managed to stay in flight nevertheless.

All Sakura felt were her wings violently tore apart and blew away by the merciless wind, before descending in a rapid free fall.

There was no Itachi to catch her.

* * *

**Boy am I hit with the temptation to end the story here... Would that be too cruel for the lovebirdS &amp; my dear readers?**

**To LuvableShannon, with regards to the scene where Sakura asked Itachi about her ninja life: just because you requested, I've made it come true for you (&amp; thank you, it was fun brainstorming the convo ^^)**


	20. Unspoken Words

**Chapter20 – Unspoken Words**

_My Secret Diary – Entry 1_

_Friday, 12:30 A.M._

_The following series of entries are solely for the recipient by the name of Uchiha Sasuke, and if you are not him, it is in your best interest to ceasing reading immediately and return it to its original location. The entries contain highly sensitive information and should not be taken lightly; refusal to adhere shall result in facing the wrath of Amateratsu, aka burning for life._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Uchiha Itachi_

* * *

_*Actual entry starts here*_

_Dear Sasuke_

_If you are reading this by any chance, it would mean that I was given the good fortune to see you again and was able to somehow pass this device to you without interrupting the actual timeline._

_Strange things do happen once in a while._

_Well you'll be happy (or disappointed, depending on the state of our relationship when we finally meet again) to know that I've miraculously survived our last battle at the Uchiha's secret hideout. So where am I, you ask? Would you believe if I tell you that I'm back in Konoha?_

_This Konoha is very different from the ones you and I grew up in – the civilians, the way they talk, the landscape, the mode of transport; it's daunting._

_Have you ever felt lost in a place you once called home?_

_It's funny how humans are always preparing for the future; in reality who could honestly prepare for something they have no grasp over?_

_I_

* * *

_My Secret Diary – Entry 2_

_Tuesday, 12:06 A.M._

_Dear Sasuke_

_I met this guy, his name's Sasuke too (what a coincidence, don't you think?); he's the same age as you and reminds me so much of you. We talked- him and me. We sometimes hang out after school, visit snacks store, doing anything and nothing out of the ordinary._

_We are even in the same co-curricular club and no, it's not the hair-styling club. The only relevant skill that I possess is taijutsu and that's what I did – not exactly my favourite nor my forte but at least I get to spar with you three times a week. An interesting opponent, alert and quite efficient with his kicks and retorts (see my point?). The thing is, he's not a ninja. Nobody is. The concept of ninja is actually obsolete here, can you believe that?_

_I_

_Did I mention that he's also a descendant of the Uchiha bloodline and the Uchihas are no longer called Uchiha_?

* * *

_My Secret Diary – Entry 3_

_Friday, 12:09 A.M._

_Dear Sasuke_

_Are you alone, shouldering the burden of our clan, struggling to find light in another day?_

_You don't have to, take on everything by yourself, you know._

_Having the courage to depend on others is also a form of strength._

_I_

_P.S. Psst! Don't tell Itachi I just hacked into his tablet. But really, who does he think he is, some kind of motivational speaker? Lil' Brother, U hav it tough, having a nii-san who talks in riddles. Anyway, nice 2 'meet' U &amp; hopefully we can meet 4 rl 1 day! ;)_

_Kisame aka Itachi's BFFL_

* * *

_My Secret Diary – Entry 4_

_Sunday, 4 A.M._

_Dear Sasuke_

_Have you encountered-?_

_Eyes that could overlook your past to see into the present you_

_Laughter that pulls at your lips_

_A heart that loves herself, and others more-_

_I wish for you to find someone like that, your light of tomorrow._

_But you know what, my little brother?_

_I think I found her._

_I_

* * *

_My Secret Diary – Entry 5_

_Welcome back, Itachi! The weather's looking shabby today… _

_What's on your mind today?_

_Tuesday, 5 P.M._

_Itachi_

_I can't believe I'm doing this… I'm still finding it hard to believe everything I've just read. Howeveeeeeeer, oh fuck how do I backspace ,,,/ oh neverminddd... If it is true that you're still alive, then I hope you're doing fine. It sucksss that you're gone and shit but I'll see to it that your death shall not be in vain, brotheeeer._

_Uchiha Sasuke_

* * *

**In Chapter 18, there was a scene where Sakura had to bend to check Itachi's heartbeat &amp; lovely LuvableShannon actually took the liberty to translate words to picture; I nearly fainted from happiness at the extent of her support. Thank you so much again &amp; do check out the awesome image here: art/Injured-Itachi-498559955**

**The shore is close &amp; we're going to reach it before Christmas!**

**Oh, and today is the Japan release day of Naruto's Last Movie! Imma have to wait patiently till 5 Feb 2015 for it to reach the local shore... **


	21. The Man Known As Uchiha Itachi

**Chapter 21 – The Man known as Uchiha Itachi**

The story that she told everyone was "He decided to return to where he came from," and people generally left her alone at that kind of comment. She often reminded herself that it was for the best, since it was not like he belonged here anyway, or that he was supposed to be here in the first place.

It was a matter of planetary misalignment, dumb luck; the heaven's idea of making sport of her.

Sakura traced her thumb along the jagged line across the Leaf symbol of his forehead protector, the story over this mysterious line still untold and might never be uncovered in her lifetime. She brought it to her nose and inhaled whatever of his scent that seemed to linger on the blue cloth.

Before replacing it in the wooden box she had bought especially to store the headband, she brought the gleaming metal (she made certain to polish it every week) towards her lips and gave it a seal of her suppressed love. She secured the box with a padlock and shoved it back into the second drawer of her desk, the only vestige that his existence was not completely an illusion, locked away in her room and in her mind.

She glanced back at the emptier than usual apartment, eyes lingering on her black leather sofa, her round glass dining table and the white wall separating the living room from her bedroom.

_Her _bedroom, not theirs, for there was no theirs to share her bed or room with.

She slipped on her brown loafers and shut the door, slowly making her way to the lift.

There was no one to chivvy her, telling her the lift door was closing.

She felt something landed on her face; using her fingers she gently dabbed on her cheeks and was surprised to find water. It must be from the neighbour who recently moved in above her unit – an avid green finger and was just doing her daily round of watering her precious plants when some of it splashed off the leaves and landed on her.

That was right, there was no way the water came from her; after so long there were simply no more tears to be shed.

* * *

"It's been what, one month, two months since he played his vanishing card?"

"It's three months, twelve days, Deidara," Konan added softly at the head of their APEX classroom. Everyone, not just Deidara, appeared shocked; the first and last party they had felt like yesterday.

It was unimaginable how Itachi's appearance had touched each and every of the Akatsuki members' lives, how such a short period was enough to form a lasting bond that bounded them intangibly.

Sasori glanced at the empty desk one seat away, thinking back to the time they talked by the street alley and the certain way he spoke of his future.

_He knew all along. I hope Sakura's doing fine on her own_.

As the usual silence that seemed to have magnified following his departure ensued, Minato strode in, arms locked behind him. The depressed bunch immediately perked up.

"Is this it? You have news of his whereabouts?"

"Is he coming back Minato-sensei?" Minato felt his heart sank at their hopeful expressions and motioned for them to quiet down.

"That's not it. Even though the senior committee and I have been secretly conducting search missions for Itachi, we're still unable to locate him, not even in the State he supposedly came from," He informed regrettably.

"It's tough on you, sensei," Pein offered on behalf of the class and he nodded gratefully.

"We're doing what we can. What I've came is to tell you all you that your homeroom teacher Kanae Madara is back from his long-term vacation and you can expect him tomorrow."

"Who's that?" Hidan yawned from the back of the class.

"Maybe we should throw him a party too, hmm," Deidara chipped in half-heartedly, before realising what that did to the morale of the class.

_Damn, if it was me who was suddenly gone without a word, I bet not a single one of them would notice, let alone be half as depressed as… I am now, hmm_.

* * *

"You know, I still can't believe he left."

"I know."

"In the end, he's the same as my brother. They just do whatever they wish and do so without a word, without any warning," Sasuke commented bitterly as they went over one another's biology assignment in the mostly deserted canteen after school.

When Sakura broke the news of Itachi's departure to Sasuke, she might as well have announced she murdered his entire family – the boy took the blow like a bus that ramped over him, twice.

In a way, it brought the two closer than before, to the point of excluding Naruto out of their regular after school work sessions, since he could no longer catch up on their post-Itachi lingos and decoding it to him proved to be too much of a nuisance.

Sakura put down the loose sheets of papers filled with Sasuke's impeccable handwriting and took a sip of her orange soda.

"Sasuke-kun, hasn't it occurred to you that one day he may come back?"

"'One day' huh? I wonder when." She knew he did not mean to be sarcastic, but the remark cut at her heart and mocked the diminutive part of her that was stubbornly clinging on to hope.

"Trust me, he'll be back." _I just don't know when_. Sasuke stopped his rapid scanning of the worksheet and held Sakura's resolute gaze.

"What makes you so sure?" Sakura pushed her drink over to Sasuke's side; he took an obedient sip.

"Well… He left something important behind, and I'm waiting for him to come back and pick it up." Sasuke wondered what would make a formidable ninja like Uchiha Itachi deemed indispensable enough to make a U-turn. He certainly hoped it was not an accessory, like the girly necklace that he was always wearing.

"And when he does that, I'll be sure to make him stay," She concluded just as Sasuke unwarily finished her drink.

"For good," Sasuke added for good measure.

"For good."

Miraculously, Sasuke was spared for finishing her drink; she was not usually this big-hearted.

For some reason, her drinks always tasted better than the crap he never failed to order.

* * *

Waving goodbye to Shizune by the reception counter, Sakura descended the last step of Konoha Hospital and joined the passers-by on the pavement to wherever it was they were headed for. No matter the hour or day, there were always people; Sakura had no idea where everyone was going, or where she should be going now. Did it matter? Should there be a definite destination every time we put our foot down and started walking?

Sasuke offered to send her home and she had kindly refused; it was not like he was her boyfriend or anything and it would not feel right to accept.

Plus it reminded her too much of the time Itachi transformed into Sasuke to fetch her home.

Three months and thirteen days and the wound remained as raw as it had when it first opened.

Her phone vibrated in her brown jacket and she slipped it out to discover a message from Hinata. It was a blurry photograph of Hinata and Ino forming a heart shape with their arms, taken by the internal Japanese courtyard of Hinata's mansion.

_Sa-chan, U R not alone! Keep smiling; he may be watching you right now! ;)_

_Ino &amp; Hinata_

She was lucky to have them, really. She should be counting her blessings instead of mopping around and putting a damper on everyone's moods. She turned and caught her reflection by the tea house's window – needless to say she looked terrible. Like ghost met a human-who-looked-even-scarier-than-a-ghost kind of terrible. Oops, seemed like she forgot to dab on some concealers and powder before she left the hospital.

The street was flooded with people, but it felt emptier than it did in her house. To escape the onslaught of strangers, she went by the longer route, along the Uchiha District. Maybe she could drop Sasuke a visit, them being close confidantes and all. Since the day he admitted that he was 'a bit lonely' in the huge mansion by himself, she had been occasionally dropping by to offer her modest company-

He was slowly making his way towards her, closing the distance with every steady thud of his sandals. The street was vacant spared for the owl hooting by the overhead branch of Sasuke's mansion, adding in to the unnecessary suspense.

Sakura's eyes remained fixed ahead of her, her feet seemingly welded to the concrete pavement as he brushed by her without stopping or sparing her a glance. She gripped her fist against her pounding chest, the tears rapidly welling up behind her startled eyes.

Had he forgotten her? She swallowed back her tears, trepidation and twisted around.

"I-Itachi…?" She called out in a timid whisper. The man's footsteps faltered, as though being held back by an invisible string. He was donning a maroon oversized cloak with a hoodie drooping by his shoulders, his ebony pony-tail tucked beneath the cloak. His hair was so black that it seemed to blend in with the louring sky. He did not even turn around when he finally spoke.

"You've got the wrong person." He carried on walking, her existence already a thing of the past. Sakura balled her hands to quell her raging emotions. Was this how things were going to be?

_Not unless I do something before it was too late_!

"Stop right there, Itachi!" Unexpectedly, he stopped. He waited patiently as Sakura marched up to his front, finally allowing himself to meet her seething sparkling eyes. He sighed in resignation when he realised she was not moving out of his way, and it would be uncouth of him to shove the lady aside, unreasonable or not.

"What do you want?" His voice was weary, detached and held the slightest hint of malice. It was day one with him all over again.

"What do _I _want?" She repeated the question like it was the most foolish thing to ask. "Really, Itachi? Is this how you're treating me after leaving without a word?" Instead of explaining himself, he did the skipping-around-your-question-to-throw-it-back-at-you gimmick in his typical ninja fashion.

"How are you so certain I'm who you're looking for?" He asked without a hint of emotion. If not for years of cultivated mannerism or the fact that this was the man of her dreams, she would have kicked him in the groin and stormed off right away, with a 'thanks for nothing' in toll.

"'_I'll be protecting you with my life till the day I'm gone, Sakura_,' you said those words to me, don't you remember? I'm the witness!"

"…" She inhaled some of the freezing air to extinguish some of the inferno within her. This was not how she was expecting their reunion to unfold… She reached out to touch his face, to feel those smooth grooves along her palm again, then thought better of it and pointed at his lips instead.

"Those lips," She began in a wavering voice and tapped the same finger to her lips, "You left a similar imprint on my lips; any memories?" When he refused to utter any words or betrayed a hint of recognition, she took a small, feeble step forward, her eyes a painting of woes and regrets.

"And there's no way I can mistake you for anyone else!" Still, nothing.

That was it; he had really forgotten about her and there was nothing she could do to make him remember.

As Sakura's heart began its hard descend from denial to despondency, Itachi thought for a second and locked his crimson eyes to her surprised jades.

"If my memory serves me well, you thought I was the singer when we first met." For a moment, it was just them holding one another's gazes, the world but a bleary background against their almost audible heartbeat accompanied by the persistent hooting. Then Sakura could not keep her straight face any longer.

"It's you… It's you! You're back!" She jumped, exploding with ebullience and lunged herself onto a smiling Itachi. She took a generous whiff of his musky scent, detecting a hint of blood and smoke, but that just added to the authenticity of the man in her bosom so she did not mind.

"You asshole, how can you leave just like that? Don't you feel anything?" Itachi shut his eyes and allowed himself to reminisce on what was lost, what he had and the feelings that this woman had conjured in his near frosted heart. No one had held onto him the way she did, as though trusting him to not let her fall.

He was still surprised that there was someone who was glad that he was alive.

"Why did you pretend to not recognise me?" She cried out softly as she hit his solid chest with her fists in indignation. Itachi looked down at her with his apologetic and gentle eyes.

"I assumed it would be better for the both of us if you have moved on and forgotten about me."

"Like hell I can do that; what kind of person do you take me for?" She retorted angrily, but her insides were welling with intense relief and even more love for this guy who had made her so miserable with his absence. Even after months of no contact, she was still in his mind and he clearly cared about her. She did not care that she was blatantly staring at him; she needed to know this was real.

He gently pushed her away, his thumb brushing the tender skin underneath her eyes.

"Have you not been sleeping well?" She clutched onto the wrist of his hand, afraid that if he broke the contact, he would disappear from her sight once again.

"Yes; I've been waiting for a certain someone to come back and hug me to sleep."

"I wonder who that lucky man is." Sakura took the hand stroking her cheeks and interlocked their fingers between their bodies.

"He's standing before me," She whispered without missing a beat.

"Sakura."

"Yes?"

"I love you, and I'm sorry it took me so long to say it."

"Oh Itachi, Is that… is that true?" Blame it on his fate, but Sakura never failed to doubt his words at the most critical moments, and he was not confident he could repeat something so mushy without cringing.

"I'm here, isn't that proof enough?" He said instead. Sakura was seeing heart-shaped stars, meaning any time she was going to wake up and be let down by reality. Unless…

"S-Say that again." Itachi should have seen that coming. He took a deep breath and looked Sakura earnestly in her eyes, not about to back out when he had come this far.

"Sakura, I love you. Would you like to be my woman?" His words were calm, steady and the warm radiating from his palm assured her that this was it; he was finally back.

"No…" She had to smother her giggle when Itachi's shoulders sagged and some of the light left his eyes. "Of course I do, silly. Now kiss me already; I've waited months for this!" The glint re-entered his eyes and he flipped off a tear of happiness from Sakura's cheeks.

"Do you love to be kissed by me so much?" She nodded solemnly, eliciting a relieved smile from Itachi as he held her chin and leaned forward…

"I-Itachi?!" Sakura's eyes snapped apart at the familiar voice of the intruder.

"Oh shit, it's Sasuke-kun! We've got to-" Her frantic calls blended and dissolved into the murky night sky as Itachi kissed her like she was the only thing that mattered. _Oh I love you too, Itachi, so much that it hurts_, she thought between their teasing of tongues, conveying all her brimming love for this wonderful man.

"Oh, god, are you fucking kidding me, Itachi and Sakura?!" Sakura released a short laugh against Itachi's lips, but Itachi did not seem to care and they carried on long after Sasuke's hurried and embarrassed footsteps deserted them.

Love, it was the only thing capable of mending a broken soul, even if it meant travelling across space.

"Oh yes, did you manage to see your brother?" She murmured against his lips when they broke apart for air.

"As a matter of fact, I did." He answered half-heartedly as he fiddled with her hair.

"Did he apologise for killing you?" That sounded odd but having a man fell out of a poster was hardly normal and it happened anyway.

"No… But he did find out about the rationale behind my actions." Sakura mulled over his words before deciding to forgive his brother; she had him to partly thank for meeting Itachi after all.

"Did you pass him the tablet and tell him how to use it?" Itachi long realised the pouch where he stored the tablet was missing its weight and shook his head.

"There wasn't time." _And I might have lost it during the battle with Kabuto_.

"… Then did you tell him that you miss him?"

"No… But I did tell him something else."

"What is it?"

"Sakura, is this an interrogation or a love reunion?" Sakura felt her insides turning into warm goo at the word 'love.' She tiptoed to press a lingering kiss on the lips of her favourite ninja that left them giddy and blushing.

"Itachi…"

"Yes, Sakura?"

"Welcome home."

* * *

**Epilogue – Wish Granted**

"You don't have to forgive me…"_You fool! Who asked you to sacrifice yourself for a village that doesn't even give a fuck about you? Why did you always have to choose the toughest path? Why did you have to be a genius when you were born_?

"No matter what you decide to do from now on…" Uchiha Sasuke could only stare at his brother's shimmering form as he moved closer and closer to him. _Stop talking and listen to yourself… You said you should have seen things from my point of view but here you are, talking to me like you're leaving… If you truly know what I want, don't tell me to decide things on my own; let us decide on things together_!

When his sluggish footsteps finally reached Sasuke, Itachi's slender fingers clasped the back of Sasuke's head. Instead of raising his fingers, the way he usually did, he bumped Sasuke forehead to forehead, slipping him a smile that he had no idea he missed so much since he last seen it nine years ago.

"I will always love you."

Sasuke was confused – because which loving brother would smile so endearingly to you only to leave you behind because he loved you?

He continued to stare blankly ahead at the empty cave long after remnants of Itachi had vaporised into the stale air. The world that he had set out to explore and conquer suddenly felt hollow and insipid.

He did not even get to say 'I love you too, nii-san,' before he left just as quickly as he came.

_That was just how big brothers were_, he thought disgruntledly, always doing whatever they pleased and never leaving a decent explanation until it was too late.

Gosh, he really hated that about Itachi.

However, that was also what made Itachi so different from any other people he knew and any other brothers in his clan.

Clan…

_What is a clan?_

_What is a village?_

_What is a shinobi?_

_Fuck, I can't believe he just left me again_.

Sasuke clenched his fists in frustration and helplessness, for not plucking the courage to apologise and missing the chance to unload tales of his adventures since deserting Konoha. He always wanted to share those stories with somebody he could trust, somebody other than the over-eager Jugo or the man-deprived Karin. No comments for Suigetsu.

He felt consumed by anger and blamed the shinobi system for tearing them apart, for turning Itachi into a killing tool just because he did not know how to refuse.

Glancing at the floor with roaring hatred, he noticed something sitting a few inches from his feet.

"What's this?" He bent to pick up the tablet from the spot Itachi stood moments ago. There was a note on the black glass surface, written in his neat familiar script:

'_How to activate the device,'_ followed by a numerical bullet point of terse instructions. Setting his katana aside, he sat on the frigid earth of the cavernous space, wondering why in the world would Itachi possess such a weird machine, why did it not disappear along with him and what was its function.

His head flipped back and forth from the note and the tablet, heedless to what he was about to find out about the untold side of his brother's life. Who knows, death in this world might not be the worst possible thing for Itachi, for the best brother he might ever really had.

**End.**

* * *

**Thank You readers for your support; I really appreciate everyone for taking the time to read this story. I'****ve uploaded a separate extra so do check it out under my profile (Contains mature contents so don't check it out if you're uncomfortable about it ;] )**


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